Sting of Betrayal
by Waylander413
Summary: Harry discovers secrets long kept hidden. What will he do when the truth is finally revealed? Contains Dark!Harry, Good!Slytherins, and RonHermione bashing. HPDM rated for later chapters casual swearing :P
1. What do I Know

**Summary: ** Harry discovers secrets long kept hidden. What will he do when the truth is finally revealed? Contains Dark!Harry and Good!Slytherins. HPDM. Rated for later chapters.

**A/N:** This story takes place after sixth year, but disregards GoF.

Harry was starting to get pissed off. Ever since he had entered Diagon Alley an hour earlier, he had been getting looks of shock and disbelief. It was as if they thought that just because he was _Harry Potter_ he couldn't act like a normal fucking teenager. Well, maybe not normal.

Over the summer, Harry had decided that he was finally going to let his true colors show. He was sick of being the Gryffindor Golden Boy. He couldn't wait to see the reactions on the faces of his so called friends when they saw him. The green and silver streaks in his hair accompanied by an entirely new wardrobe from a most remarkable store in muggle London would be shocking enough (although he thought that Seamus might appreciate the chains-dirty boy), but the seven piercings and five tattoos might throw them over the edge.

'I really hope that they go absolutely fucking insane. Maybe if they're crazy they won't bother me anymore.' Harry thought to himself. 'And with any luck that barmy old coot and dried up hag will have heart attacks. Heh heh.' (A/N: anyone who couldn't figure out that these are Dumbledore and McGonagall is just silly!)

Harry had taken some time that summer to think about everything that all of his "friends and supporters" had done. Funnily enough, the catalyst had been a letter from Malfoy. The memory alone was still enough to make Harry's eyes flash dangerously, and people on the street backed away from his fury.

_**Flashback**_

Harry was sitting on his bed in his tiny room at the Dursley's. His "family" had been warned not to bother him this summer, as he was ever so important to the war effort. The Dursley's had ignored him now for an entire week. And Harry was bored. He had been feeling restless, as if there was someplace he was supposed to be, but he didn't know where or why.

Harry's musings were interrupted by a pecking at his window. A black owl was waiting impatiently for him to open it. Surprised and uncertain, he slowly got off the bed. 'Who's sending me an owl? The order still doesn't tell me anything, and that's not Ron's.' Thought Harry as the bird swooped in. As soon as the letter attached to its leg was gone, the owl took off. 'Huh,' thought Harry, 'guess whoever this is from doesn't expect an answer.'

Cautiously, Harry broke the seal on the letter. A small ring fell out and before he could think about it, Harry's hand swept out to catch it. As he felt a familiar tugging sensation around his naval, his only thought was, 'Oh shit.'

When Harry landed, his glasses _conveniently_ flew off of his face. 'Damn it, that's all I need right now.' He was just about to panic when he felt a hand press the familiar wire frames onto his face. As his vision cleared, he followed the hand up to the owner's face. White hair with grey eyes could only mean one person. But, if this was Malfoy, why did he look so different? His hair wasn't gelled back, instead falling loose around his ears, and it had green tips! Not to mention, Malfoy's precious face was dotted with piercings! Harry had thought that Malfoy would never do anything to disturb the supposed perfection that was his face. He could only think of one thing to say to all of this.

"Malfoy?"

"Yes Harry, it's me. Although I would prefer if you would call me Draco. It is my name after all." Draco replied.

"What?" Asked Harry, "Since when do you call me Harry, and why do you want **me** to call **you** Draco? Oh, and while you're at it, why do you look like that?"

"Look Harry, we don't have time for this right now, just take these and grab the portkey again. You haven't got much time." Draco handed Harry a pensieve and 4 vials filled with a shining silver…something. "Each of the vials has a memory in it. Just look at them, and if you want more answers, then grab onto the portkey and say, 'portus.' It'll bring you back here. If you do come back, you can bring your stuff if you want." With that, Draco handed Harry the ring. The pulling sensation began again, much to Harry's shock.

When Harry looked around, he was back in his bed at the Dursley's. At first he thought that it had all been a really weird dream, but then he noticed the pensieve and vials on the bed. 'Oh,' he thought, 'so it was real. Oh well, memories can't hurt me, right?' With that, Harry took the vial labeled "1" and poured the memory into the pensieve. Without further hesitation, he placed a finger in the liquid, and was pulled into the memory.

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Harry looked around to see where he was. It took no time at all to figure out that he was in the headmaster's office. It was easily recognizable after all. Dumbledore was facing two young children, and all Harry could see of them over the backs of their chairs was their hair. One had flaming red hair, and the other's was brown and bushy. 'Ron? Hermione? I wonder what I'm supposed to see here,' Harry thought.

Harry didn't have to wait long for his answer, as Dumbledore began to talk. "Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, thank you for coming to see me. I wanted to thank you. You did a fine job keeping Mr. Potter out of Slytherin. The whole time the sorting hat was on his head he was muttering 'Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.' It was all I could do not to laugh out loud."

"Yes, well he was easy enough to sway," said Ron. "The idiot's so starved for attention that all I had to do was sit with him and he wanted to be my best bloody friend."

"Indeed," added Hermione, "I can see that it won't take much for me either. I plan on doing what you've said, and will gain his sympathy soon enough, and then it's a short step onto friend. I was wondering however, why exactly you want us to even bother with this fool."

"Well, for now all I can say is that he is necessary to keep Voldemort from returning to power. Just continue to keep Harry away from any type of Slytherin influence. I have a plan for this year which will ensure that he begins to become accustomed to playing the hero. I'll continue to check in with you to make sure that he is progressing well enough. For now, you two need to return to your dormitories and get some rest."

"Yes sir."

"Goodnight sir."

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Harry didn't even realize he was crying until a few teardrops landed on his bed. Ron and Hermione were only his friends because Dumbledore told them to be. Dumbledore had set up everything in his first year, and likely the other years as well. Harry was just a pawn to them, something to be used against Voldemort. Harry would have thought that the memory was false, but he had been taught how to recognize that, and by Dumbledore no less! Harry didn't feel like he could feel much worse right now, so he figured that he might as well get the other memories out of the way.

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Snape rushed into the headmaster's office, where the headmaster was talking with professor McGonagall. "Albus! What is wrong with Harry? He looks like he's been starved his entire life, and he got sorted into the wrong house! You promised me that he would be safe with his aunt and uncle, not that he would be underfed. And we both know that there is no place a Potter belongs other than Slytherin. Both of his parents were in that house, not to mention everyone else in his family."

"Severus, be calm. There is nothing wrong with Harry. He looks underfed because he would often refuse to eat what his aunt gave him. And he was sorted into Gryffindor because he requested to be put anywhere other than Slytherin, according to the sorting hat."

"What! Albus, what kind of nonsense is this? What did you say to him to make him make that kind of decision? And I won't believe that Harry would refuse so much food to make him look like that! The boy attacked his dinner as though he hadn't eaten in a week!"

Dumbledore sighed. "Well then, if you're not going to play along, I'm afraid that I'll have to make you do so. _Imperio_! I'm sorry Severus, but this is for the greater good. Now go, and make sure that all your little Slytherins hate young Mr. Potter."

Snape walked out of Dumbledore's office calmly, and Dumbledore sighed. "I'm going to have to keep an eye on him. Oh well, he won't be able to break my spell. Harry needs to hate Slytherins. It is essential for my plans. If Harry is to kill Voldemort he mustn't find out the truth."

McGonagall looked at Dumbledore with a strange look. "Was that really necessary Albus? Couldn't you have just obliviated him?"

"I'm afraid not Minerva. If I had, then I would have had to make him forget too much of his life, and I don't have the power to create an entirely new life for him. This was the only way to ensure his cooperation."

"If you say so Albus." Replied the professor, as the scene faded around Harry.

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"Holy shit! Snape actually likes me! He's under the Imperius curse? What the fuck is going on?" Harry had gone from miserable to livid. Not only had Dumbledore handpicked his fake friends, he had used and unforgivable on a teacher to make sure that Harry would play right into the old coot's hands! And McGonagall, his own head of house was in on it all! These memories were opening Harry's eyes, and he was only halfway done with them. Harry picked up the third vial, and dumped it in the pensieve. He had to get to the bottom of this right away.

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Harry found himself in Snape's office. Snape was sitting at his desk when Draco walked in.

"Hey uncle Severus, what's wrong with Harry? You told me that he'd be nice, and that he'd be in Slytherin." Draco said.

"Harry Potter is a blood traitor. He is arrogant and idiotic. No matter what he is told, he refuses to believe that his parents were in Slytherin. He seems to believe that all those in Salazar's great house are evil."

"What? That doesn't sound right. Maybe I should talk to him. I could show him the pictures you gave me of you and his parents, maybe that'll help."

"His relatives have been trying to show him for years. He would just lash out at them, and refuse to eat. The Harry Potter we have known in our thoughts has never been. I want you to show this new person no mercy."

"But uncle Sev, won't that just make him hate us more?"

"Draco, this is the only way. There is no hope for him. He has turned his back on us, and he must be punished for it. The Gryffindor Golden Boy must be taught not to turn his back on a serpent's nest."

"All right uncle Sev, if you say so. He'll be treated the same as the other Gryffindorks."

"Good. Now go, you need your rest."

"Night uncle Sev."

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Harry didn't even stop to think as he poured the fourth and final memory into the pensieve.

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Harry had no idea where he was. Judging from the crowd gathered though, he knew it was a Death Eater meeting. After all the times he'd seen them in his dreams, it was kind of hard not to know. It seemed to be at an end though, because the Death Eaters were beginning to apparate away. Soon, only two were left. Voldemort, sitting on his "throne" raised an eyebrow at them.

"Malfoy, Snape, is there some reason that you stayed?"

Malfoy bowed down and said, "Forgive me my lord. I have come to believe that something is wrong with Severus. I kept him here by using the body bind. Recently, he has been acting as though he were fighting against something, and I though that you may be able to help him. I am sorry if this is too presumptuous of me, lord."

"Not at all Malfoy. You two are my most valuable followers. If you believe that something is amiss, it bears investigation." Voldemort pulled out his wand and muttered something. Whatever it was, the result made him straiten in his chair. "Someone has had him under the Imperius curse for almost six years now. Well, this won't do." With a flick of his hand and a muttered, "finite Incantatum," Voldemort released Snape from the curse.

Malfoy immediately released the body bind, and Snape collapsed to the ground, sobbing. "I'm so sorry my lord. I fought against it every day, but I couldn't break free. Dumbledore was too strong."

"Why would that miserable old man put you under the Imperius curse Snape?" asked Voldemort.

"He didn't want me to tell anyone the truth about Harry. My lord, the boy has been lied to his entire life. He has been told that his parents were in Gryffindor, and that Slytherins are all evil! He thinks that you killed his parents! He…he…"

"Enough, Snape. Open your mind to me and I shall see the rest." For a moment the two men were still. When he was through, Voldemort looked at the two men in shock and sorrow. "Severus, go home and rest. Malfoy, contact your son and bring him here immediately. We must rectify this situation."

The two men bowed and left with small pops.

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Harry was numb. He got off of his bed and packed all his school things. After writing a short note to the Dursleys, he grabbed his trunk and Hedwig's cage in one hand, and the portkey in the other. With a whispered, "portus," Harry Potter disappeared from number 4 Privet Drive, never to return.

**A/N:** So what do you think? Please let me know. First timer, so please be gentle. Flames are welcome too.


	2. Finding Answers

**Disclaimer**: They don't belong to me, cuz I'm not JKR. Dang.

**Summary**: Harry discovers secrets long kept hidden. What will he do when the truth is finally revealed? Contains Dark!Harry, Good!Slytherins, and RonHermione bashing. HPDM rated for later chapters.

**A/N**: This chapter is still technically part of Harry's flashback. It takes place in the beginning of the summer.

**Thanks to my reviewers! You guys rock!  
**

Chapter 2

Finding Answers

Harry dropped onto the floor. He looked around (his glasses had stayed on this time thankfully), and saw that the portkey had brought him to a kind of reception room. Everywhere he looked he could see more displays of wealth. Gold filigree decorated the walls, priceless sculptures stood in the corners, and all kinds of art was there. Every time Harry thought he had seen everything, another small detail would pop out at him. This room was obviously meant to impress visitors.

Just then, Harry was startled out of his wonderings by a loud pop behind him. He quickly spun around, wand in hand, to confront whoever it was.

"Mr. Harry Potter sir," came the squeaky voice of a house elf, "Dippy is to be bringing you to Master Draco."

"Oh, alright. Should I just leave my things then?" Asked Harry.

"Oh, yes Mr. Harry Potter sir. We house elves be taking care of Mr. Harry Potter's things. Please be following Dippy now."

The house elf-Dippy-led Harry to a large set of double doors on the second floor. After knocking, the elf disappeared with another loud pop, and a voice came from beyond the doors.

"Come in Harry. I know you'll be wanting those answers I promised you." Came the familiar drawl of one Draco Malfoy.

Harry cautiously passed through the doors into one of the largest libraries he had ever seen. Unbidden, the thought of Hermione's reaction to the staggering amount of books tucked away in this room came into his mind. As soon as the thought entered however, he pushed it away angrily. 'She doesn't deserve to have me even consider her. She is nothing to me now.'

"Thinking of the mudblood, eh Harry?" asked Draco. "She'd probably faint if she saw all these books, not that she'd ever be allowed in the wards of course. Only those with the purest of blood can enter Malfoy Manor."

"Wait, so then how can I be here?" asked Harry. "I'm a half-blood, right?"

"Actually no, and that's one of the things that we are going to clear up today. Your mother wasn't muggle born, she was adopted. Actually, it was all Bumblefuck's fault. He found out about the ancestry of your mother's parents and decided that it could never be known that they'd had a child together."

"Wait, slow down Draco. You're starting in the middle. This is a lot for me to take in as it is, so could you at least go in chronological order or something?"

"Oh, right, sorry. I just get so pissed off when I think about how he fucked with your life, so I kind of start rambling. Okay, I guess the best place to start would be with Merlin, Arthur, Morgan LeFay, and Mordred."

**Story Time!** (btw, this is all Draco speaking, I just didn't feel like bothering with all the separate quotation marks!)

Merlin was arguably the greatest wizard of all time. During his life, he passed on his magical knowledge to many, but always he dispersed it so that certain of his pupils knew certain things. He only taught the entirety of what he knew to three people; King Arthur, Morgan LeFay, and Mordred. For centuries the four were inseparable, but in time all things must end. The three "students" started to grow apart, each wanting to go their separate ways. Merlin was saddened by this, as he wanted to keep his special children together, and away from the influence of the world. In the end though, the separation was inevitable.

Arthur wanted to continue to go off on adventures, being gallant and noble and always rescuing those who needed help.

Morgan wanted nothing more than to study everything that she could, be it magic or no. Her hunger for knowledge was insatiable.

Mordred wanted power. He had plenty of magic, yes, but he also wanted power over the peoples of the world. He was bitter that the other three had once known power in the mortal realm, each in their own way, and yet he hadn't really.

Merlin just wanted everyone to be happy. However, he knew that if he allowed his special children to return to the mortal realm as they were, they would disturb the precious balance of power that everything is so dependent upon. So he retreated into himself for some time, meditating on the problem, until he finally came up with the answer. The four of them would bind their powers so that they would be weakened enough to be able to walk amongst mortals.

Arthur and Morgan agreed immediately, but Mordred didn't want to give up any kind of power he had. It took time and many threats from the others before he finally gave in. The four bound their powers and reentered the mortal plane, separating soon after. Never again would they meet, at least not as themselves.

By returning to the mortal plane of existence, the four became mortals themselves. Each eventually married and had children, and their children had children, and so on through time. Eventually, the lines of Merlin, Arthur, Morgan and Mordred became the lines of Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin, respectively.

The four founders when they came together had no idea of their shared ancestry. It wasn't until Hogwarts was well established that Rowena Ravenclaw stumbled across four old family trees. Evidently, Merlin, as one of his last deeds, had created them to chronicle the lines of his family and those of his three favorite students.

The knowledge of what had driven their ancestors apart was part of why the founders themselves began to drift apart. No matter what history now says, it was not Slytherin against the other three. Each one had his or her own arguments about how the school should be run, and none of them were willing to compromise. The reason that Slytherin is depicted as the antagonist is because he became disgusted with his fellow founders and left. The others, seeing that they had driven one of their own away, became close again, vowing to find a way to bring Salazar back to the school.

The peace didn't last long however. It seemed that no matter how they tried, their blood just couldn't stand for them to be so close to each other all the time. So eventually, the remaining three went their separate ways as well. What they didn't know was that all of this had been seen by Merlin ages before. The blood of the four was too powerful to stay together for long. Merlin however had left an obscure prediction that promised to unite the blood of the four once more in such a way that they could never again be separated.

He had seen in the far distant future, a combining of the blood of the four into a single body, one who would be powerful enough within his mortal frame to house the full power of that blood, even that which had been bound.

**Back to normal talk!**

"This person that Merlin saw is you Harry," said Draco. "From your father's family you inherited the blood of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, and from your mother you inherited the blood of Ravenclaw and Slytherin."

"Shit man, that's cool. So where does Bumblefuck fit into all of this? I mean, why should he care if I'm shit powerful? Doesn't really seem like it's any of his business."

"Well, evidently the old fart got his hands on some ancient prophesy that was about you becoming the ruler of the earth or some shite like that. He wanted to prevent the bloodlines from ever meeting, so he tattled on your grandparents and arranged for your mum to be taken in by muggles. Even handled the paperwork himself probably."

"Okay, well one, I don't want to rule the world, let's get that clear. Two, who were my mum's real parents? Three, how is it that you know all of this? And four, where does Voldemort come into all of this?"

"One important thing you should know first is that your parents were in Slytherin, not Gryffindor, as were your dad's friends. Bumblefuck didn't want you to know this, because he is a part of the 'Slytherin's are evil' mentality.

"Your mum's parents were Eileen Prince and Alphard Black. Sev was one of the first to figure that out, as your mum looked exactly like his mum except for the color of her hair and eyes. Even so, the connection was fairly obvious it seems. Once Snape figured it out, he told Lily about his suspicions. At first, she didn't want to believe him, but when she saw a picture of Sev's mum, she was curious. The two of them began looking into it, and they finally came upon a spell that could tell you the names of a person's parents.

"When they knew for sure that they were half-brother and sister, they went looking for the reason that Lily was given up for adoption. The first person they confronted was their mum. When she saw Lily, she knew right away who she was, and evidently they had quite the happy little reunion. Evidently, Eileen and Alphard had run away together and gotten married. By the time they returned, she was pregnant and their families were furious. Both had expressly gone against the will of their families, and were punished for it. Of course, their families wouldn't have known if it weren't for that old fool. Alphard was sent to live in seclusion, given only enough money for him to live out his days comfortably. Eileen was hidden while she was pregnant, and when Lily was born, she was immediately taken away. Eileen was married off to a muggle, and a spell was used to get her pregnant right away. Eileen explained that because of the spell, Sev was born two months early, and was also the reason for his unhealthy complexion.

"By this time, they were in their fifth year. Lily and Sev became quite close, as you may have expected, and the incident with the whomping willow came about because they hadn't told anyone the details of their relationship, and your dad was jealous. Black knew this and set up the whole scheme."

"Oh, so that did happen," said Harry. "I was beginning to wonder if anything I'd been told was true."

"Yeah that happened. The real reason it was hushed up though was because Bumblefuck didn't care what the Slytherins did to each other. As far as he is concerned, the fewer of us, the better. Also, he thought that this 'incident' would cement Lily's dislike of your dad, and they wouldn't ever get together. He knew about their ancestry after all, and he couldn't risk them getting together. However, he underestimated the Slytherin cunning. James and Lily had been together since their third year.

"Voldemort comes into play around their sixth year. By this time all their Slytherin friends knew about Lily's real heritage and what the old fart had done to her. Letting a pureblood think that they are a mudblood is one of the worst offences that anyone in Slytherin could ever wrap their mind around. Voldemort was beginning to recruit among his old house, and the group was among the first students to sign up. Your parents were loyal death eaters Harry. Voldemort isn't actually a bad guy though, so don't think of them as evil."

"But if they were death eaters, why did he kill them?" asked Harry.

"Well, he didn't. When your parents got married and had you, Bumblefuck started looking for ways to get rid of the three of you and implicate Voldemort in the process. The dark lord was a challenge to his power, and the old fool can't stand competition. So he used his influence to convince the gullible wizarding world that Voldemort was evil, and that he would torture and kill people for no reason. In actuality, the dark lord has only killed those who deserved it by breaking some law, and he never tortured anyone. All those 'victims' of his were actually tortured by Bumblefuck. That man is truly sick. He will do anything to stay in power, and he has most of the wizarding world behind him."

"Wow," said Harry. "I never thought I'd say this, but I kind of feel sorry for Voldemort. So what happened with my parents then?"

"Well, the old fart's plans were all in place, and so he lured the dark lord to your parent's home under the impression that you three were in danger. When he got there, they were fine, but then Bumblefuck ran in, and all hell broke loose. He killed your parents before Voldemort could react, and had reached your cradle. Voldemort tried to get him with the AK before he could kill you too, but Bumblefuck held you up at the last moment so the curse would his you instead."

"WHAT? THAT FUCKER KILLED MY PARENTS? I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"

"Not yet Harry. The timing has to be right. Besides, don't you want to discredit him first? Or would you rather he died a hero?"

"Damn you and your bleeding logic. Fine. No death for him, for now. But it better be soon. Moving on though, do you know about Weasley and Granger? I'd really like to know how deep they are into this."

"Those two are right close to the old fool. He's been paying them vast sums of money over the years, from your accounts actually."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah, we didn't know about that until recently. He made sure that he was named the benefactor of your parent's estate when their will 'vanished.' You should have been given back control of the Potter family vault when you turned eleven, because you are the sole remaining heir. You are actually Lord Potter, and because of this, you've been of age since the time you were accepted to a magic school."

"So all this time, I could be doing magic outside school? What about in second year when I got that warning because Dobby used magic at the Dursley's?"

"That was the old fool again. He sensed magic at the house and used his connections to get the warning sent. He couldn't risk you learning about your lordship, as he would have been deprived of a fortune. You should go to Gringotts as soon as possible to make sure that his name is taken off of the account, and to find out just how much of your money he's spent. I know for a fact that he's been using some of your properties for his vacations, and using another's home without permission is a huge insult, especially for a family like yours."

"I'll kill him. I'm gonna kill that fucker. First he kills my parents, then he lies to me, and then he spends my money. When is the soonest that we can get to Diagon Alley?"

"How about tomorrow? That'll give you time to rest a bit, and um, well don't take this the wrong way, but you could use a shower."

"Yeah, I know. The Dursley's weren't fond of me using their 'precious water' so I only got a shower once a week. I'm sure I reek."

"Well, yes, but it would have been impolite to say so."

Harry laughed, for the first time in too long. "Couldn't have that, eh Draco? Oh, before I forget, what's with the new look? Don't get me wrong, I think it's hot, but I never took you for a piercing kind of guy."

"Yeah, well like you said, it's _hot_." Harry flushed and looked away. "Er, sorry about that Draco, I didn't mean it quite that…"

"Not to worry Potter, I know I'm hot. Besides I uh, well I appreciate the compliment coming from you."

'Holy shit, is he coming on to me? Because if he is this is like all my wet dreams come true,' thought Harry.

"But that can all wait. For now, let's just get you settled. Come with me."

The two went up the stairs to the third floor and Draco gestured to the right. "This is the west wing of this floor. This is where family and good friends stay." He walked down the hall explaining who slept where; who had permanent rooms, and who was shuffled around every time they came. They came at last to the last two doors, at the end of the hall. "The rooms facing the front of the manor are mine. Yours are the ones facing the back. Everything should be ready for you."

"Okay, and Draco? Thank you for everything. I mean it."

"It's not a problem Harry." Draco smiled and walked back down the hall.

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Harry had to pinch himself several times to remind himself that this wasn't a dream. He had walked into his rooms (there was more than one!) and almost fainted in shock. The first room was obviously a sitting room. It had a huge fireplace complete with its own container of Floo powder. In front of the fireplace were a large couch and two overstuffed armchairs, all black. In one corner there was an area that seemed private, although there was no separation between it and the rest of the room. This area held a large desk and chair, obviously meant for working. There were shelves everywhere, some with books on them already, some empty and waiting to be filled. The walls were done (surprisingly) in a deep red, and the rug was a warm brown and honey gold color. All of the shelves, the desk and chair, and the fireplace mantle were a rich mahogany color. All in all, the room was warm and inviting, a perfect place to relax.

Three doors led out of the room. On the right, a door led into the largest closet that Harry had ever seen. It was bigger than his dorm at Hogwarts, and that had five boys sleeping in it! His clothing fit into one tiny corner, and he could see just how it stood out amidst the opulence of his surroundings. He would definitely need to go shopping soon. He just hoped that Draco would help him, as he had no idea how to go about it.

The closet had another door in it, which Harry realized connected it to the bedroom. Harry supposed that this was so he wouldn't have to go into the sitting room every time he was going to get dressed. The bedroom was bigger than Harry had imagined. He had thought that it would be at most the same size as the sitting room, but it was actually bigger. There were windows everywhere to make the room brighter, but the heavy drapes made it easy to block out the light. The bed was huge, big enough for ten people to fit easily. It had black silk sheets and a black comforter with silver lining. The hangings around the bed were black velvet. The wall were done in a deep green that reminded Harry of a forest at night. There was another fireplace, with two very comfortable looking chairs in front of it. The chairs were the deep blue of the ocean, down where only the smallest amount of light could penetrate. The rug was a combination of every color in the room, black green and blue swirling around each other surrounding a silver shape in the middle. At first Harry thought that the shape was a stag, but he realized that it changed into a dragon when looked at differently.

Finally, Harry made his way into the bathroom. Black marble and silver fixtures surrounded him. There was a large shower on one side, and also a large bath set into the floor that would put the one in the prefect's bathroom to shame. Harry saw that it was filled and ready for him, and lost no time jumping right in.

**Author's Notes:**

**Oooohhh...Harry got pissed this chapter. hehehe. I wonder what he will do to old Dumblydore? mwahahaha!**

**oh, and I'd like your opinions on a few things. Should these people be good (with Harry) or bad (with Dumbledore)? **

** Mr. and Mrs. Weasley**

**Fred and George**

**Ginny**

**Bill**

**Charlie**

**Percy**

**Hagrid**

**Other professors**

**Review plz! Reviews are food for the story gods! **


	3. Gringotts and Shopping

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me, cuz I'm not JKR. Dang.

Summary: Harry discovers secrets long kept hidden. What will he do when the truth is finally revealed? Contains Dark!Harry, Good!Slytherins, and RonHermione bashing. HPDM rated for later chapters.

A/N: Thank you so much to all my reviewers! Your voting has given me a good idea of who to make good and who'll be with Dumbledore.

BTW, this is definitely AU, and disregards everything after GoF, so Sirius is alive. XD

Chapter Three

Gringotts and Shopping

When Harry awoke the next day, it took some time before he remembered where he was. He was swimming in black silk sheets in the largest bed he'd ever known. The sheer extravagance was what triggered his memory. 'Oh yeah, this is my room at Malfoy Manor. I don't think I'll ever get used to having my own rooms here.' Harry thought.

Harry couldn't believe what was happening. Just 24 hours before, he'd been sitting in his room at the Dursley's thinking about how bored he was. Everything had happened so fast, it seemed surreal. However, Harry thought that the strangest part of all this was that he seemed to have no trouble believing everything that Draco had told him.

'Everything I've ever been told about my life has been a lie, yet I don't feel all that bad. I'm angry, but only because I was manipulated. Maybe I always knew something was off, so it's not that big of a deal. Oh well, if I'm not all torn up about it, then why think about it?'

When Harry walked into his closet he saw an outfit waiting for him. Black jeans with green flames rising from the bottoms, a black t-shirt with, "Sarcasm helps keep you from telling people what you really think of them," printed in green across the chest. Harry dressed, chuckling as he pulled the shirt on, and walked out of his rooms into the hallway.

When he opened the door, Dippy appeared and beckoned for Harry to follow her. She led him downstairs, and into the dining room, where Draco sat waiting for him.

"Good morning Harry," said Draco, "I trust you slept well."

"Yeah," replied Harry, "best night's sleep in a really long time. Thanks for the clothes by the way." As Harry was talking, breakfast appeared in front of him and Draco.

"It's no problem. Besides, you need something to wear when we go out today. I thought we'd go to Gringotts first and get that all squared away, and then I am taking you shopping."

"Okay. While we're out, I'd like to get some hair dye. Always wanted to dye it, I just didn't think that the boy-who-lived would do anything like that. God forbid I act like a teenager."

"Not a problem. I know a place in Diagon Alley that has potions for that."

"Cool."

----------------------------------------------------

An hour later saw Draco Malfoy, seemingly alone, striding into Gringotts. Harry followed close behind under his invisibility cloak. Draco walked up to one of the goblins, and requested a private meeting with the head goblin, Ragnok. Almost immediately, he was ushered into an office.

"Ah, young master Malfoy," said Ragnok, "what can I do for you today?"

"Actually," Draco replied, "I'm not here for me, I'm here regarding Harry Potter." With that, he gestured, and Harry stepped out from under his cloak.

"Here about your estate then?" asked the goblin. "It's about time, do you have any idea how it feels for us to have to cater to that fool Dumbledore? Frankly, I'm surprised you didn't come earlier."

"Well sir, I didn't actually know that I had anything other than the vault that I've been withdrawing from," said Harry.

Ragnok got a strange look in his eye. "So you've never signed anything saying that you gave Dumbledore permission to utilize your accounts?"

"No, why?"

"Well because young lord Potter, this means that Dumbledore has broken the law. He has not only prevented you from accessing your own money, he also forged your signature on legal documents. He's been stealing money from you, and that is a very serious offense. Not only can you bring charges against him for lost properties, but we can as well. The old fool will be in major trouble over this."

Draco laughed. "He deserves everything he gets. Could you tell us just how much he has taken from Harry over the years?"

"Well," said Ragnok, "I'll need to go and check. If you'll give me a moment please?"

"Of course," the boys replied.

Ragnok left the two young men in his office. When he left, Harry let loose a sigh. Draco looked over, concerned. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah," Harry replied, "it's just that this is all so much to take in. This morning I was fine with everything, but sitting here, I guess it made everything real. I don't really know what to trust anymore."

"I realize that it will probably take some time, but I do hope that you will come to trust me."

"I've always trusted you Draco. Even when I thought of you as my enemy, you were the one person in my life that I could count on to always be there, be the same."

Draco opened his mouth to respond just as the office door opened and Ragnok reentered. "Lord Potter, according to these figures, over the past six years, Albus Dumbledore has illegally taken 80,764,950 galleons from your accounts here. Add to that the recorded amount of time he spent on your properties without your permission, and he owes you roughly 100,000,000 galleons. I may have rounded up a bit with the property infractions, but the cash is entirely accurate."

"Holy shit! That is a hell of a lot of money. What the hell was he doing with all of that? Gold plating his entire house?"

"Well," said Draco, "we know that he's been paying of the weasel and the mudblood for at least six years now, and if you add in all the Order 'expenses,' the total isn't hard to come by. Besides, do you have any idea how much candy the old fool goes through in one day? I wouldn't be surprised if he spent close to fifty galleons a day on it all."

"The young master Malfoy is quite correct," said Ragnok. "Dumbledore set up three separate accounts when he gained access to your estate, one for a Mr. Ronald Weasley, one for a Miss Hermione Granger, and one for his own enjoyment. The accounts for Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger both contain 20,000,000 galleons each, and his own account right now contains 30,425,640 galleons. The other 10,339,310 galleons has been spent in some way."

"Mother of Merlin," said Harry. "How soon can you get the paperwork started to get him brought to trial for all of this? Because I'd like it if you could hold off for a time. Announcing his arrest in the middle of the welcoming feast would be excellent, wouldn't you say Draco?"

"Indeed, however, it may subtract from the statement you'll be making with your re-Sorting."

"Hmm, point. Alright, Ragnok, get the paperwork all settled, and we'll let you know when we want it to be made public knowledge."

"Of course young lord. All shall be taken care of."

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When the two left Gringotts, Draco turned to look at Harry. "Alright, now that the unpleasant stuff is taken care of, no more thinking about it, okay? Now, I am taking you shopping and there's nothing that you can say or do that will stop me."

Harry laughed. "Not to worry Draco, I do need something to take my mind off of Bumblefuck. However, I would like to get out of Diagon Alley. I'm not ready to be found quite yet."

"Not to worry, I know this great store in Muggle London. It'll be perfect. We do need to stop and get your hair potion first though. Do you know what you want to do with it?"

"Hmm, I was thinking green and silver streaks would be nice."

"Oh yes, you'll look perfect."

Hours later, and Harry had an entirely new wardrobe. He got the works; pants, shirts, shoes, and enough jewelry to make a girl jealous. That is, if she was into bondage. Wrist cuffs climbed to his elbows, and a thick black dog collar was strapped around his neck. As they were leaving the clothing store, Harry spotted a shop that perked his interest even more. He quickly dragged Draco over.

"What is it Harry?" asked Draco.

Harry stopped in front of a tattoo and piercing parlor. He threw Draco a smile and said, "You're not the only one who likes piercings."

In the end, Harry went a bit crazy. Draco laughed at him, saying he could get them all at different times, but Harry didn't care. He walked out of the parlor with two bars in his right eyebrow, a loop in each of the bottom corners of his lips, a bar in his tongue, a loop through his left nipple, and a bar in his left ear which matched the bar in Draco's right ear. The man in the parlor had raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

"When we get back to the manor a healing potion will take care of the pain for you," said Draco. "And, um, why'd you get a matching earring of mine?" The look on Draco's face was one of hope mixed with fear. He wanted to know, but at the same time, was afraid of the answer.

"Well, this way it's easier for everyone to see that we match. And I got it in the opposite ear so that when we stand side by side, they are always together, just like we'll be."

"YES!" shouted Draco, while jumping up with his fist in the air. Harry merely raised an eyebrow.

"I take it you like that answer?"

"Oh yes. I've been waiting so long for you to do something. I didn't want to push you away so I didn't say anything. Heh, why else do you think your rooms are right across from mine?"

"Well, I had wondered. What say we go back to the Manor talk this over a bit more?"

"Definitely."

Harry and Draco slipped into an alleyway and with a crack they were back at the Manor. Draco immediately pulled Harry in for a kiss, but was pushed back. He looked at Harry confused.

"Healing potion first," said Harry, pointing to his lips, "then kissing."

Smiling, Draco handed Harry a bottle filled with a blue liquid. Harry tossed it back, feeling the pain of his piercings fade almost immediately. For a moment he just stood there, but then he pounced on Draco, catching his lips in a fierce kiss. Soon their tongues were battling for dominance, both boys' tongue piercings clacking against one another's.

Harry pushed Draco against the wall of the hallway they were in and proceeded to grind his hips into Draco's. The friction caused both boys to gasp, pulling them momentarily from their kiss. Soon enough however, they were back at it. They were rudely interrupted however, by an irate potions master clearing his throat.

"Might I assume that the two of you have settled your differences?" asked Severus.

"Well Snape, I guess you could say that," replied Harry. "Oh by the way, can I call you uncle Sev? I've been dying to try out that name. Heh, uncle Sev. Just rolls right off the tongue, don't you think?"

"Ah, good so Draco has filled you in. Oh, and no, you may not call me uncle _Sev_. My name is Severus, not Sev. I refuse to allow you to shorten it."

"No problem uncle Sev," replied Harry. "I won't ever call you Sev."

Severus glared at Harry while Draco laughed. This only caused Severus to glare at Draco as well.

"Oh, don't give me that," scolded Draco. "You know you'll let him call you whatever he wants to now. Oh, and what are you doing here? You're interrupting something you know."

"I could see that. I'm here to talk to the two of you about Harry's birthday."

"Why?" asked Harry. "What's the big deal? It's not for another couple of days anyway."

"Couple of days?" screeched Draco. "Why didn't you tell me? I need to buy you a present, we need to plan a party, oh, there's so much to do!"

Draco started listing things off to himself muttering under his breath and counting things off on his fingers. He was interrupted once again however by Snape.

"As fascinating as that all is, I meant something else," said Snape. "On your birthday Harry, you will officially come into your inheritance. This means that you will receive your full powers."

"Cool, I get more?"

"…." (Draco)

"?" (Snape)

"I mean, I already have more power than every wizard I've ever met. I could always tell. How much more could I get?"

"Well, I don't really know," said Snape. "I just thought that you should be warned that you may wake up differently than you fell asleep."

"Oh, okay. Thanks for the warning uncle Sev."

Snape grimaced, and disappeared with a loud crack. Harry looked at Draco, still pinned against the wall. "Well," he said, "where were we?"

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A/N: OMG! New powers coming! Who else is super excited (raises hand). Yay! Next chappie will include power revelations :) Also, Sirius is coming soon kiddies! Whoop!


	4. Birthday Surprises Part I

**Disclaimer:** They don't belong to me, cuz I'm not JKR. Dang.

**Summary:** Harry discovers secrets long kept hidden. What will he do when the truth is finally revealed? Contains Dark!Harry, Good!Slytherins, and RonHermione bashing. HPDM rated for later chapters.

**Thanks to all my reviewers!**

**Chapter Four**

**Birthday Surprises Part I**

Harry knew right away that something was going on. Judging by the light, or lack thereof, in his room, it was way too early for him to be awake. Just as he was wondering what had woken him up, pain ran throughout his entire body, worse than any cruciatus curse he'd ever felt. He wasn't even aware of screaming until Draco ran into his room.

Draco yelled at him, "Harry! What's happening?"

Harry couldn't answer. His entire being was taken up by the pain. He felt as though he was being burned alive. Just as he thought that the pain was too much and was about to pass out, it was gone as though it had never been there. He lay on the bad gasping, wondering what had happened.

"Harry? Are you alright now?"

Harry lay quiet for a moment before answering, a bit hesitantly. "Yeah. I'm fine now. I have no idea what happened, but it's over now."

"Maybe it has something to do with your birthday today, your new powers and all."

"Oh yeah, completely forgot about that. But, uncle Sev never said anything about excruciating pain. He just said that I would wake up different."

"Well, he probably didn't know. It's not like this has ever happened before."

"Ah, point to you. What time is it anyway?" As soon as the words left Harry's mouth, glowing numbers showing the time, 5:34 am, appeared in the air in front of his face. "Draco, did you cast the tempus charm?"

Draco looked as surprised as Harry felt as he answered, "No. I guess you really are powerful. You didn't use a wand or a spell."

"Yeah well, this can wait until the sun comes up at least." With that, Harry leaned back on his bed, holding his sheets open for Draco. The blond slipped in silently and wrapped his arms around Harry, both falling asleep quickly.

A few hours later, when Harry and Draco woke up, they were presented with a few surprises, all coming from Harry.

When Harry woke up it took him a few minutes to remember the events of the previous night, and why Draco was curled up next to him. Careful to avoid waking him, Harry slipped out of the bed to head for a shower.

The lack of warmth next to him woke Draco. Looking up with eyes still blurry with sleep, he saw Harry slipping out the door. However, there was something different about him.

"Harry, when did you get a tattoo?" asked Draco.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry, popping his head back in the room. "I don't have any tattoos."

"Um, you may want to look down then," said Draco. There's a rather large one on your chest, not to mention your arms and your back.

"WHAT!" Harry ran for the mirrors in his closet. Draco was right. There was a phoenix on his chest that looked ready for flight, black flames crawled up his arms from his wrists, and on his back, different elementals crawled around. If he moved in the right way, it was as if they were alive.

"This is so weird," Harry said. "What the hell kind of power manifests itself in tattoos?"

"Well, a lot of cultures use tattoos of some kind to signify rank," said Draco. "Maybe that custom has deeper roots. It happens all the time. In the past, wizards and witches often ruled over muggles as gods of some kind. If their power was like yours, it could have influenced those that followed them."

Harry turned toward Draco. "But I thought that what's happening with me has never happened before. Why would that explain the tattoos?"

"Just because you happen to be one of a kind doesn't mean that others haven't had power that came close to yours in strength," Draco pointed out. "Anyway, I think you should find out what powers came with those tattoos. Seems to be a big concentration on fire."

"Well yeah, but the ones on my back seem to point to all the elements. I wonder if I can control the elements or the creatures that represent them. Maybe both." Harry smiled. "This is so cool."

Draco got out of the bed. "Yes, while you have fun exploring your powers, I'm going to take a shower. Don't take too long wonder boy. Breakfast will be in about an hour."

Harry didn't even respond. He was staring at the phoenix on his chest. It looked a lot like Fawkes, and he wasn't sure how he felt about being reminded of the old coot every day for the rest of his life. 'Oh well,' he thought, 'it's not like I can do anything about it.'

Harry turned, thinking of taking a hot shower to get rid of the remaining aches from the night before. It wasn't until he was in the shower, steaming water running down his body that he remembered that he'd woken up in Draco's arms. As soon as the thought entered his mind, his body (or a certain part anyway) woke up entirely.

Thoughts of the blonde raced through Harry's mind as he lightly stroked himself. He imagined Draco on his knees in front of him, that delicious mouth parted just for him. He pumped faster and faster, and finally, while picturing just how useful that tongue stud could be, his climax hit him, leaving him shuddering at the intensity. He hadn't felt like that in over a year, not even when he'd been obsessed with Ginny the year before.

Ginny confused him. Harry had known that he was gay for a couple years. He'd figured it out when he kept having fantasies about Cedric in fourth year. Everyone had thought that he had like Cho, but in reality, he only paid attention to her because she was close to the Hufflepuff champion.

However, last year he'd begun to feel insanely jealous whenever he had seen Ginny with any other guy. At first he'd put it off as a kind of brotherly protection, but after a few months, even he couldn't live in denial any longer. After he'd admitted to himself that his feelings had nothing to do with brotherhood, he'd begun to think that he was bi. But looking back, even that made no sense. He'd never felt any kind of attraction to a girl except for Ginny last year. And the feelings had disappeared rather quickly. Only a week into vacation he'd forgotten all about her. To say he was confused would be an understatement.

When Harry walked into the dining room for breakfast, he hadn't been able to shed any kind of light on the Ginny situation. Draco noticed right away that something was on his mind.

"What's the matter Harry? New powers freaking you out or something?"

"Huh? Oh, no actually I was trying to figure out why I was attracted to Ginny last year. I mean, I'm gay no doubt about it, but last year I couldn't think of anyone but her. Weirder than that though is about a week after school let out, she was the furthest thing from my mind again."

While Harry had been speaking, Snape had entered the room without him noticing.

"Harry, what you're describing is the classic response to a love potion."

"Oh hey uncle Sev," said Harry. "What do you mean? Aren't those illegal? Besides, Ginny doesn't seem the type to use one."

"Yes they are," replied Severus, "and while this does have Dumbledore written all over it, Weasley had to be involved, because it would have required use of her blood. Love potions act like a subtle form of the Imperius curse. However, because it isn't a spell, it is impossible to throw off. Many people will do things for the 'love' that they feel that they would never consider doing otherwise. The fact that you resisted the pull is amazing, and speaks highly of your power."

"Um, I didn't really resist. I mean, I did at first but after a few months I gave in and Ginny and I started dating. I broke up with her though, because I was being the heroic Gryffindor. You know, couldn't let her be a target and all that nonsense. Although, she had been getting rather annoying for a while before that."

"It's possible that once she had you, she stopped dosing you," said Draco. "She probably felt as though once you in a relationship with her, you wouldn't ever want out, being as you said, the heroic Gryffindor that could never dishonor a damsel in such a fashion. Probably thought you'd stay with her because you felt some kind of responsibility."

"Quite likely. I did think about that for a while, but in the end, her 'safety' was more important than her momentary happiness. Merlin, how could anyone stand me? Just thinking about how I've acted all these years makes me ill."

"Yes well, if you'll remember, I said that quite often."

"Shut up Draco."

"What? I was just agreeing with you."

"Well then stop."

"If I don't…"

"Enough children," interrupted Snape. "Can we just sit down and eat breakfast. After all, this is supposed to be a big day is it not?"

"Oh yeah," exclaimed Draco. "I've got tons of surprises planned for you mister birthday boy! Eat up, because you'll need your strength." Draco practically bounced in his seat as he waited for Harry and Severus to seat themselves as well.

"Draco, I seem to remember telling you that I hate surprises. Do you remember that conversation?"

"Oh hush Harry. Trust me, you'll like these. There are a lot of people who would like to reacquaint themselves with you now that you're no longer being brainwashed. It'll be fun, like meeting all new people."

"So I assume this means I'm getting a party of some sort?"

"Of course! And tons of presents as well. I think it's past time to spoil you like the rich pureblood that you really are."

"Right…well I think I'll just go to my rooms for a while. Let me know when people get here."

"Harry, I swear, if you are a spoilsport I will not talk to you for a very long time."

"Don't worry about it Draco. I'm just a little tired, and slightly overwhelmed by everything. I'll be fine by the time people arrive."

Snape watched the two boys interact with a strange look on his face. Neither one of the two seemed overly concerned with the power that Harry had been radiating the entire time he'd been in the room. He was beginning to wonder if the younger wizards had even noticed. He decided to talk to his nephew as soon as he could to find out what had been going on.

Harry was relaxing in his room in front of a comfortable fire when he heard a knock on his door.

"Draco, I told you…"

"I believe you asked Draco for some alone time. You never mentioned me."

"Heh, sorry uncle Sev. So, do what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"Insolent brat. I was wondering what kind of new powers you received in the night. At breakfast you were radiating power like a furnace gives off heat in the dead of winter."

"Really? Wow. Am I still doing it now," asked Harry.

"Well, yes, but it seems dampened," said Severus. "Have you done anything since breakfast?"

"Nope, just sat in front of the fire for a bit."

"You have a fire going? It's July! Most people are looking for ways to remain cool, not warm up!"

"It's not warm. The fire's there, it just isn't giving off any heat. I just wanted it for the comfort."

"Well I guess that answers one question. You definitely have an affinity for fire. There are no charms that can convince the salamanders in fire to ever burn without heat. For them to do so for you means that they recognize your power and are trying to be friendly. Otherwise they run the risk of you not liking them and then forcing them into things which they otherwise wouldn't do."

"Eh?"

"Don't worry, I've got an entire section in my library devoted to elementals and the wizards that can control them. I'll bring a few by later for you to read."

"Oh, thanks. Hey, do you know why I got tattoos last night?"

"Harry, I have no idea why you would do that. That seems like the kind of decision you would make for yourself."

"No, I didn't get them myself. I woke up with them. Draco says they're representations of my power."

Snape froze. Hesitantly, he turned to the teen. "Representations of power?"

"That's what he said. Are you okay uncle Sev?"

Snape stood silent, his mouth opening and closing and his eyes wide. "Do you have any idea how much power is required to manifest itself in a permanent mark? Power like that hasn't existed since the earliest generations of wizards! The last known wizard with power marks died over a thousand years ago."

"Wait, so power dies out as time goes on?"

"Harry, at any given point in time, there is a set amount of magical energy in the world that is manifested in witches and wizards. The more of us there are, the more that power is dispersed. In the earliest generations, there weren't many people that could do magic, so they had more power."

"But if the magic is dispersed, then why are some wizards so much more powerful than others? Why doesn't everyone have the same amount?"

"The magic gives itself to those that can handle it. Some witches and wizards have a greater capacity within themselves, and so they are given more of the power. However, it does also depend on when you are born. Purebloods, because their families are surrounded by magic at all times, have a greater capacity for magic than muggleborns or halfbloods. However, if they are born at a time when many other witches or wizards, they will not receive as much power as they rightfully should. That is why most purebloods don't like muggleborns; because they believe that muggleborns effectively steal power from those who 'deserve it.'"

"Well, I can kind of see that, but that doesn't explain squibs. I mean, if all purebloods have a capacity for magic, then squibs shouldn't exist."

"Just because a child is born to a magical family doesn't mean that they have the capacity for magic. If that logic is followed, then muggleborns wouldn't exist either."

"But what I still don't understand is," Harry paused as his door was opened, revealing a very excited blond.

"Harry! It's time to party! Let's go! Get your über powerful butt downstairs! Now, now, now! Come on!"

"Draco, uncle Sev was just explaining some things to me. And I-"

"Harry, explanations can wait. There are quite a few people downstairs waiting for the birthday boy, and they can't."

Harry looked back and forth between Severus and Draco. Finally, seeing that Severus wasn't going to argue with his godson anytime soon, he heaved himself off of the couch and sighed. "Fine, but I better get some damn good presents."

**A/N: **Hey all. I am super super sorry that this took so long to post. I just really wanted this chapter to be perfect. Even now, I realize that there are a few unanswered questions about Harry's new powers, but I realized just how long it's been since the last update, and I couldn't in good conscience keep you waiting any longer. I promise that the next chapter will answer more questions, but if you are really stuck on anything, just let me know and I'll see if I can work it in. Sorry again for the long wait.


	5. Birthday Surprises Part II

**Disclaimer:** They don't belong to me, cuz I'm not JKR. Dang.

**A/N: **Thanks to all who reviewed. It really means a lot to me.

Miss Lesley: good eye! XD don't worry, all your questions will be answered. I left some things up in the air, because I wanted more time to think on them, but not to worry they will be explained; some of them in this very chappie.

To everyone else, I'm sorry if I don't respond personally to your reviews. I just hate it when an author wastes half a page on review responses. I really, really do appreciate that you took the time to review. Thanks ever so much.

On with the story!

**Chapter 5**

**Birthday Surprises Part II**

Albus Dumbledore stood in a small cell, staring at the ragged man on the cold stone floor. The dark haired man glared back at him, rage clearly shining in his ice blue eyes. After over a year in the room, the man was also starting to show another emotion, one which pleased the headmaster. Hopelessness was beginning to push its way through the man's visage, although he was fighting, valiantly though in vain, to hide it. Dumbledore smiled, a twinkle in his eyes. It wouldn't be long now. Soon the man would be completely lost, and the little glitch in his plans would be smoothed over. Soon, everything would fall into place. The Potter boy would get rid of Tom for him, and while he was still weak from the fight, Dumbledore would strike.

The man on the floor saw the smile on the old coot's face. He kept his mask in place, knowing that the headmaster was seeing exactly what he was meant to see. For over a year he'd waited, and soon, he would be free. At times, he had almost fallen into despair truly, but one thought kept him from sinking. One thought, two faces.

_I have to free them._

_Harry_.

_Remus_.

----------------------------------------------------

The walk down to the party was a quiet one. Harry was still trying to process all of the information his uncle had told him, and he was also a little nervous. He wasn't sure how everyone would react to him, and how he would react to them. After all, until just a few weeks before, the people awaiting him were viewed as enemies in his eyes. If any of the Death Eaters ('I wonder why they're called that; I never did ask anyone.') were there, he wasn't sure if he would be able to see them without thinking of the times when they had cursed him or attacked the people he'd thought of as friends. Especially…

"Draco, did you happen to invite your aunt to this party?" asked Harry.

"Which one?"

"Bellatrix."

"Oh, yeah, she should be here. Why?"

"She sent Sirius through the veil. She's the reason he's gone. Even if she's not evil, I don't know if I can forgive her for that."

"Oh, well maybe you could just let her try to explain. I mean, Sirius was her cousin, so I don't think she would have done anything to harm him intentionally."

"But she did Draco. Intentional or not, she's the reason that my godfather is gone."

"I know that, but please, could you just hear her out? For me if nothing else?"

Harry sighed. "Fine Draco. But you better have some damn good presents for me."

Draco smirked. "Oh I've got a few good ones. Don't you worry your pretty little _head_ about that."

"Draco, stop making sexual innuendos about my nephew. It is disturbing."

Harry and Draco turned to Snape with evil smirks on their faces. Instead of trying to match words with the acerbic man, they instead chose action. Draco shoved Harry against the wall, and proceeded to attack his mouth. The boy beneath him let out a moan and his hips arched up to grind against Draco's. Snape looked on in horror before he finally came to his senses.

"Boys! Stop that this instant. Merlin! Can't you keep your hands, mouths, _everything_ to yourselves for a few minutes? In case you've forgotten, there are people waiting for you."

Both boys had halted their movements and were staring at Snape. Harry gave his best, most winning smile. "Of course we haven't forgotten uncle Sev, we just thought we'd show you that innuendos are often preferable to the real thing when you're an outsider."

Snape glared at him. "I told you not to call me that!" With that, the flustered man stalked down the hallway, too preoccupied to remember to make his robes do that swirling thing that they usually did.

Harry looked at Draco with a smile. "Let's get going. Wouldn't want to keep everyone waiting. After all, we can easily pick up where we left off when everyone's gone and we aren't in a hallway." Draco just smirked.

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When Harry and Draco reached the large double doors that lead into the parlor where the guests were waiting, Harry paused.

"Draco, what if none of them like me? I mean, we've all been fairly antagonistic toward each other for the past six years. What if no one can let that go?"

A gentle smile worked its way onto Draco's face. "You don't need to worry about that. Through these doors is a room full of people that are waiting for you. Not Harry Potter, the Gryffindor wonder boy, but Harry; the boy that some of us played with when we were too young to remember. The boy that should have been allowed to make his own choices long ago. No one is holding your past against you. Everyone understands the lengths that Dumbledore was willing to go to in order to keep you under his thumb. Besides, if you and I can put aside our rather turbulent past, then I think that everyone else should be a piece of cake. Come on, they're waiting to meet you."

Harry smiled nervously. "Thanks Draco. You seem to know just what to say."

With that, Draco opened the doors, announcing to the room beyond that they had arrived. All talk stopped, and all eyes moved toward the two teens. Harry looked around, and saw the same uncertainty he felt mirrored in many of the faces of those here to celebrate his birthday. "Um, hi everyone," he said with a small wave. "Um, thank you for coming. I'd uh-" Harry froze, emerald eyes catching ruby across the room.

Voldemort stood, hesitation marking his posture. "Hello Harry. If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you alone for a minute. I feel as though I owe you an explanation, and many apologies. That is, if no one minds." The rest of the guests looked at him as though he had just uttered the stupidest words they'd ever heard. Harry glanced at Draco, a question in his eyes.

"Go Harry. The two of you have quite a lot to talk about, and there's no way either of you could enjoy the party without clearing the air. Use the library across the hall, and when you're all set, we'll be waiting."

The two former enemies stared at each other for another minute, before Harry turned and walked across the hall. When he broke off the eye contact, Voldemort was finally free to move as well, and he quickly followed the young man. "I'll try to keep it short everyone, but we all know that the two of us have much to talk about."

Everyone nodded, and without any further prodding, the most famous dark lord in a century followed the savior of the wizarding world out of the room.

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Voldemort entered the library to find Harry sitting uncomfortably on the edge of one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace. The same heat-less fire that had burned in his own room was crackling and popping before him. The older man seated himself, unsure of where to begin. Fortunately for him, or perhaps unfortunately, Harry had a few questions to get the conversation started.

"Voldemort…Tom…lord Moldy shorts? Why did you try to kill me in my first year? Why didn't you try to explain? If you're not evil, and I believe Draco that you're not, then what was I seeing in all of the visions that I had? Why did my scar hurt whenever you were around, and why doesn't it hurt now? Why did you send visions to me of Sirius, leading me to the Department of Mysteries where he died? Why didn't anyone try to tell me the truth until now? Why?"

Voldemort sighed, "Please, call me Tom if you'd like. In your first year, I didn't try to kill you right away, if you recall. Quirrell tried once when you were playing a Quidditch game, but that was before I was with him. At the time I was unaware that you had been lied to so thoroughly, and I had merely told him to watch you. It was when I found out what had happened that I joined him in his body. That was also when I learned of the lies that had been spread in my absence. Honestly, I was shocked. I'd known that many witches and wizards hadn't liked me overmuch, but I wasn't aware of the lies which Dumbledore was spreading. I was angry for a while, but not at you, not yet. I though that perhaps you could be exposed to the truth, but a ghosting of the minds of my followers' children made me believe what they did, that you had turned your back on your true history, believing instead in a made up story.

"When I offered to give you back your parents, in that room with the mirror, I didn't truly mean to bring them back to life. I meant to offer you a chance to know them as they had truly lived. When you rejected me, I felt as though you were doing so out of spite, and I grew angry. Unfortunately, at the time I had very little depth of emotion, and angry for me meant that you should die. When you are a shadow clinging to life, you can only experience one emotion at a time, so my anger was unchecked. The rage that I felt toward you is what activated the magic in your being; the magic of all the founders, and those that came before them. Dumbledore knew this, but he couldn't allow you to know, and so he told you that it was your mother's love that saved you.

"I'm not completely sure about your visions. I do know that there is a connection between us, mostly because it was your blood that helped give me this spiffy new body (sorry about that by the way), but I never meant for you to see what I saw or feel what I felt. At the time I was quite angry, not just with you, but with the entire wizarding community. However, I would like to assure you that I have never used the cruciatus curse for pleasure, and indeed when I have been forced into a position where it was absolutely necessary, I loathed myself for using it at all. At the time, I was actually trying to kill you yes, but I wasn't exactly in my right mind. Something about the potion that gave me a new body was off just a bit-that's what I get for allowing Wormtail to brew it-and it caused me to have very unnatural thoughts."

Harry looked thoughtful. "Well, maybe that was it then. Maybe the 'unnatural thoughts' you were having got transferred to me through the link, and I thought that they were what you were actually doing."

Voldemort started. "I can honestly say that I never thought about that. Well, about that Department of Mysteries incident, I never sent anything about your godfather. Severus told me what was happening when Dumbledore and the Order found out, and I took some of my Death Eaters to intercept you. Please accept my deepest apologies for what happened. At the time, I was rather happy, but it wasn't truly _me_."

Harry stared into the fire. "It wasn't you that caused Sirius to fall through the veil. That was Bellatrix, his own cousin…"

"Oh, about that, I believe she wanted to tell you something about that. She knows something about that veil that even I don't know. She herself was a bit unbalanced as well, having spent quite some time in Azkaban."

"Yes well, that doesn't really excuse the fact that I lost my godfather only two years after I found him." Harry wasn't in a forgiving mindset concerning Sirius' fall.

"Indeed. Well I think that we should leave that for her to try to explain. The pain in your scar is a bit easier to elucidate. What you were experiencing were the effects of the killing curse. Usually, there is one moment of pain so incredible that it causes the heart to stop. However, when I saw that the curse would hit you and not Dumbledore, I pulled it at the last moment and only a small part of it actually connected with you, leaving you with that rather famous scar. The rest rebounded to hit me, which wasn't enough to kill me completely, but did scatter my body so that my spirit was unbound. Every time that I was near you, the connection between us seemed to try to finish the curse. I was pained as well, but it was spread throughout my being as the curse is meant to be, thus it was easier to ignore. You felt the same amount of pain, but because it was concentrated in one area, it was much more painful for you. I stopped being affected when I utilized your blood to be reborn, which is why the pain was more intense for you afterward.

"Now, after coming into your full powers, the killing curse has absolutely no effect on you. You are, to put it simply, too powerful to die by any curse. Thus, the curse is thwarted forever, and you no longer feel any pain associated with it.

"Harry, as to why no one tried to tell you the truth before, we all thought that you had been told and that you had rejected the truth. We believed that there was no real point in trying to talk to you again, especially seeing as how you were so intent on cursing us whenever we came near you."

Harry was looking pissed. His eyes flashed, fire seeming to light them from within. "That fucking old man! I can't wait to see his old wrinkled face when he finds out that I know _everything_. I hope he has a heart attack."

Voldemort smirked. "Yes, well, all in good time. Right now, I believe we have a party to return to."

Harry nodded absently, seemingly lost in thought after his outburst. Suddenly, a revelation struck him. "Tom! What about Moony? He was one of my parents' best friends! Why didn't he ever try to tell me? And why is he in the Order with Bumblefuck?"

"I believe you can thank the illustrious headmaster for that young Harry. After all, the old man was powerful enough to overtake Severus' mind for almost six years. It is quite possible that he did the same to the rest of your parents' friends, those that he could reach that is. Those closest to your parents would have been the most difficult to overcome, but with Mister Lupin's…er…condition, his natural mental defenses are weaker than those of a normal wizard. Besides, no matter the mans' faults, Dumbledore is a very powerful wizard. Before today when you received your full inheritance, he was Gryffindor's heir, and as such had Godric's power. That is not something to laugh about."

"Wait," said Harry, "are you saying that much of Bumblefuck's power came from Gryffindor? Does that mean that he has less power now? Because that would be awesome."

"Unfortunately no Harry. Once a person has a certain amount of power, there is nothing that can take it away from them."

"But what about the power balance thing uncle Sev told me about? I mean, if I got all this new power, wouldn't that mean that the people that had it before don't have it anymore?"

"That would be true if you were a normal wizard Harry. However, the power that you received came from somewhere not of this world. You got all of the power that the original four gave up when the decided to walk amongst mortals once more. If your magic came from the pool of reserve that the rest of us take from, there wouldn't be any magic left over for anyone else. You have more power than the rest of the wizarding world combined. But enough of that for now. There are a lot of people waiting for you. Let's go back to the party, and we can continue this conversation later."

"Well alright. But I better get some damn good presents." Voldemort just laughed, a sound that startled the young man. He smiled at the older wizard, and gestured for him to lead the way across the hall.

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When the double doors opened once again on the party guests revealing a _laughing_ Voldemort and a smiling Harry, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Draco smiled brightly, glad that Harry wasn't so nervous anymore. He, of course, completely ignored Voldemort in favor of staring at the younger man. The smile on Harry's face was one of the most open expressions that Draco had ever seen, and the fact that Harry had finally let his guard down around them meant that his questions had been answered and his doubts laid to rest.

Severus was happy that neither had come back injured or worse. Both men, young and old, had a temper that was legendary. He had been hoping for the best, but in reality he had been expecting the worst.

Harry was ignoring everyone in the room. As soon as the door had opened his eyes had found a veritable mountain of presents, and he couldn't help but stare at them. His smile only grew when he was finally distracted by Draco walking up to him.

"What's cookin' good lookin'?" Harry joked.

Draco grimaced. "Please refrain from using that kind of speech. It literally makes me want to vomit it's so terrible."

"Psht, you're just uptight." Noticing the conversation, Voldemort had begun to wander off. "See ya later alligator."

Voldemort smirked. "Indeed. In a while crocodile."

Draco looked shell shocked. He stood staring at Voldy, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Seeing the expression, Harry fell on the floor, laughing hysterically. When Draco finally snapped out of it, he glared at the teen rolling on the floor.

"I hate you sometimes."

Harry stopped laughing and looked up. "Oh no you don't. Just hush. Ooh, hey, let's do presents!" Harry jumped up and tore over to a couch in front of the presents. "Come on, come on, come on! This is my first birthday party! Let's get this show on the road!"

Although everyone was understandably shocked to hear that Harry had gone fifteen years without a birthday party (A/N: obviously I'm not counting the year his parents were alive you silly counters you), they soon realized that he really didn't care as long as he had fun now. Everyone laughed and sat down, amused by the fact that the most powerful wizard to ever be born was acting like a child.

Overall, the gifts were very well received. There were a few snags in the fun however. When he got to the usual book and candy from Hermione and Ron respectively, his eyes flashed and they were incinerated in green flames. When he picked up his present from the Lestranges, he looked uncertain, but when he opened it, his face immediately lit up. It was a _very_ old book that was named, Beyond the Veil: What Awaits the Fallen. The name was slightly ominous, but the fact that it was an entire book written about an artifact that no one understood anymore was enough to give him hope. Even if it were only to tell him that, yes the veil did kill people, at least he would _know_.

Many of the gifts were some kind of memento that had been collected concerning his parents. He got photo albums, jewelry, his parents' wedding rings (from Voldemort), and his mother's diaries from her school years. These presents touched him, giving him much more personal connections to his parents. Before, all he'd had was his father's invisibility cloak and a few pictures. Now he felt as though he would be able to know his parents, to feel closer to them.

Some gifts were set aside, as Harry wasn't really sure what to think about the people who sent them. Ones from his Gryffindor classmates as well as those he'd dubbed, 'Golden Boy Worshippers' or GBWs, were included in this pile as well as anything from an Order member, or from people he just didn't know very well.

From Severus he received books on potions and elemental masters, as well as a family tree that began with the four founders and tracked down their descendants until the four lines finally converged on Harry's name.

From Draco, he received a necklace that had a silver dragon charm with emeralds for eyes. Harry could feel the magic thrumming along the charm, and when he commented, Draco smiled and said that he would explain later. Draco also told him that he had more gifts waiting upstairs for him, that he would get in private. Harry beamed, knowing that it would be worth the wait.

From Ragnok, Harry got a box containing the familial rings of all four of the founders. By wearing these, he signified to all that he was the heir of said families, and as such, held all of the power that had been passed onto him. The rings would grant him access to every nook and cranny of Hogwarts, and would also ensure that he was granted access to the vaults and estates that hadn't been touched in the many generations since the lines of the founders had hidden themselves away.

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In all, the party was a great success. Harry wandered among the guests, meeting some people and reacquainting himself with former enemies. He spent a moment with Bellatrix, but both agreed to put off their conversation until Harry had read the book. After many hours, plenty of food and drink, and some enlightening conversation, the guests-save a few-left for their homes. Voldemort stayed, as did Severus, both intending on speaking with Harry more in time.

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Harry looked around. Everyone was gone, and the parlor room was sparkling clean. He just sat, thinking over some of the things that people had told him, looking at some of the photo albums he'd received. Finally, Draco walked into the room, startling him out of his contemplations.

"So," Draco asked, "are you going to stay in here all night? Or do I get to give you your other presents?"

Harry smirked and looked up. "What, did you think I'd forgotten?"

"Well, yes, but it's okay. I knew that you'd only need a small reminder before you came running. It's a part of the Malfoy charm."

"Ah, right you are." Harry stood up off the couch and, dropping the album he tackled the silver haired beauty in front of him. "Now, this is a much better way to pass the time than getting all sentimental, wouldn't you say." As he spoke, Harry began rubbing up against Draco, delighting in the friction it caused.

"Oh, most definitely," Draco breathed. "Now if-"

"If you could take this to your rooms, I would most appreciate it."

Harry looked up. "Awww. Come on Moldy, don't spoil my fun, it's my birthday!"

Voldemort glared at him. "I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear that. However, if that word ever passes your lips again in reference to me, there will be severe consequences."

Draco giggled. "Moldy? Where did that come from?"

"Well I did ask him if I could call him lord Moldy Shorts, but he never responded so I figured it'd be okay." Harry beamed. He had made Draco _giggle_. He would have to call Tom moldy more often. "Anyway, before we get into a long drawn out discussion, Draco and I have some business to attend to. Let's go Drake."

"Okay, _Ri_. See you tomorrow Moldy!" With a laugh, Harry dragged Draco out of the room, running for the safety of his suite.

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A/N: heh, I could end it there, but you've waited so long I might as well give you a treat.

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As soon as the door closed to Harry's bedroom, both teens set up strong silencing and locking spells. Neither one was sure how far things would go tonight, but they wanted to be sure no one disturbed them.

"Now," purred Draco, "where were we?"

Harry smirked, pushed Draco down on the bed, and fell on top of him. His lips pressed against Draco's, softly at first, but becoming more passionate. His tongue darted out, tasting the other boy's lips asking for entry which was soon granted.

As their tongues battled, both boys arched into each other, gasping at the sensation the movement caused. Harry began moving more determinately, while also raising himself on his arms to gaze down at Draco. His silver Adonis was flushed, with his mouth parted and his eyes half closed. The sight of the boy beneath him struck something deep within Harry, a deep seeded want that went far beyond the lust of a seventeen year old. Harry _needed _ Draco, craved to feel him in the most intimate of ways. Harry suddenly felt as though, without Draco, he could never feel any sense of completion.

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Harry sped his movements. He recaptured Draco's mouth and let go only when the need for air became paramount. :_Yes,_: he hissed, not realizing his switch to parseltongue :_so beautiful._:

Draco let out a moan. "Merlin Harry," he gasped, "that has got to be the sexiest thing I've ever heard."

:_Mine, you're mine. Just as I am yours. Now and forever._:

Both teens had picked up the pace even more, needing more. Before long, Draco stilled momentarily before shuddering as he released. Harry, seeing Draco in that moment of ecstasy, followed a moment later.

Harry collapsed and rolled to the side. Both boys gazed at each other, panting heavily. Without saying a word, Harry waved his hand, ridding each of their clothes. He barely paused before grabbing onto Draco once more.

:_Now Draco. I need you now. I need you inside me. Come and claim me._:

Draco couldn't understand the words that Harry was speaking, but he understood the meaning behind them easily enough. "Are you sure Harry? I don't want to push you. I'd love to, but I don't want you to regret this in the morning."

The look on Harry's face was answer enough, even though he still wouldn't speak English. :_Shut up and fuck me Draco._:

Draco looked at Harry for a moment, gazing into his eyes, looking for something. Finally, after what seemed like forever to Harry, he nodded, and bent over to claim Harry's mouth, before moving on.

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Later as the boys fell asleep, both fully sated, neither one noticed a bright light begin to circle them, encasing them in a mist that flowed from the deepest emerald green to the finest silver. Nor did the two notice the tattoo snakes that burned themselves into the boys' necks. Green with silver eyes for Harry, and silver with green eyes for Draco.

Instead both boys slumbered on, unaware of the mayhem they would cause upon awakening. After all, it's not everyday that the most powerful wizard in the world finds his one true mate.

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A/N: Yay! Another chapter! wipes brow phew! That one took a while, but not as long as the one before! I'm so proud of myself! XD

Oh, BTW, Ouveanna this chappie's dedicated to you, cuz you're so impatient. It's a good thing you're my friend. :-P


	6. Bonded

**Disclaimer:** If you don't know by now that I only own the plot, then I feel very sorry for you. You may want to consider professional help. XD

**A/N:** Once again, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. Honestly, you guys are what keeps me writing. smooches

**Chapter 6**

**Bonded**

_Every now and then, over the course of the world's history, there have been a few witches and wizards so powerful that they could not fully control their own powers. Often, they would be consumed, and the power would control them instead. The Fates that govern all of existence saw this, and saw that these powerful ones were needed. So, in order to prevent the seemingly inevitable burnout, other beings were brought into existence._

_These others would be a perfect compliment to their mates. If one was light, the other would be dark. If one was all fire and storm, the other would be the peaceful calm of water. In essence, the other would be a grounding force for its partner._

_In order to be sure that the two matched would find each other and know each other for who they truly were, the Fates coded certain things right into their very makeup. They made sure that the passion between the two would be too powerful to ever ignore. Unfortunately, this passion was sometimes mistaken for anger, for hate. In these instances, the consequences were dire. Neither one of the pair was truly complete, and the world around them suffered for it._

_However, it is known that when these pairs come together, they always do great things. One with power is always born into a time when they are needed._

_Over the course of time, this knowledge of mated beings of power has been slowly but surely forgotten. None in living memory can remember the last time that one with power was born, and so those that do know the story pass it off as just that, a story. Something told to children to give them hope in desperate times. However, the Fates have not forgotten, and the time has finally come when one is needed again. The world has become stagnant in its beliefs, blindly following where it should be thinking for itself. Traditions are followed that have no meaning anymore. Society is in need of change, but the only ones that can see this are shunned, pushed aside, and called evil._

_And so, one with power was born, and he has a world of work ahead of him._

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Harry woke slowly. He felt a sense of deep contentment, as though everything was perfect and everything would be alright. He felt safe and warm wrapped in Draco's arms.

'Wait, Draco's arms?' Harry started awake, remembering suddenly the events of the night before. All he could really remember was heat, passion, and want. He felt as though it had needed to happen. Strangely enough, the thought that they had gone too far too fast never entered his mind. He knew that it wasn't really normal for one's first sexual encounter to go all the way, but then again, when had he and Draco ever been normal?

Harry turned into Draco and watched the other teen sleep. Something seemed different, but Harry couldn't quite place what it was. He felt like something within him that he hadn't even realized was empty had been filled. He felt…whole, for the first time in his life.

As Harry was mulling things over, Draco had begun stirring. When he opened his eyes to find a pair of emeralds staring back at him, he smiled softly. "Hey lovely. How are you feeling this morning?"

Harry snorted. "Well my arse is a bit sore, but that's to be expected I suppose."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes well, you shouldn't hiss at me if you can't deal with the consequences. That's damn hot you know."

Harry looked confused. "Hiss? What are you talking about Draco? I don't remember hissing."

"Yeah, well you were. I couldn't understand what you were saying, but you got your point across clearly enough. Wouldn't take no for an answer if I recall. So, um, do you feel any different?"

"A bit. I mean, I feel like I'm complete now, you know?"

Draco smiled. "Strangely enough, I know exactly what you mean." He stared at Harry for a bit, before noticing something out of place. "Harry, when did you get a tattoo on your neck?"

"What? I don't-" Harry looked at Draco. "Um, you have one too."

Both looked at the other for a minute before bolting out of the bed and running for the bathroom mirror. Both were understandably shocked, although Harry at least had gotten some practice with dealing with strange markings appearing on his body overnight.

Draco was confused. "Harry, why would I get a tattoo? I mean, you're the über powerful one, right?"

"I don't know. Do you think it has something to do with last night?" asked Harry.

"Maybe. But people have sex all the time without getting snakes around their necks," said Draco.

"Yeah, well when have we ever been like other people?" asked Harry. "Maybe we should ask uncle Sev and Tom."

"No, I was planning on walking around with a magical tattoo and not telling anyone about it," said Draco sarcastically.

"Shut it you. I'm taking a shower."

Draco looked up. "Wait for me."

"Well if you'd stop being so vain and staring at yourself, I wouldn't have to wait," Harry replied with a smirk.

Draco didn't respond, instead deciding that his (and Harry's) mouth could be doing something much better. Both boys stumbled into the shower, only parting when they needed air.

Harry stared at Draco as the water streamed down his body. If it was possible, he had become even paler than Harry remembered. His skin seemed to give off an ethereal glow. Draco looked like a statue come to life. He was absolutely beautiful. As Harry looked into Draco's lust filled eyes, he suddenly knew that Draco thought the same as he did. Harry had never thought of himself as attractive, but seeing the look in Draco's eyes, he finally felt wanted.

Both teens studied the other for a moment, before bringing their bodies together once more. Harry reached out his hand, and a seat appeared behind Draco. Harry pushed him down, and settled himself on Draco's lap. Draco was surprised at first, but that quickly disappeared. He reached a hand down and grabbed a hold of Harry's cock. Harry gasped at the contact, and returned the favor.

Harry's free hand reached out, as if to grab something. A small bottle of lube appeared in his hand. He smiled and held it out to Draco.

Draco slipped one finger into the bottle and reached down behind Harry, gently probing at his opening. Harry gasped at the first small invasion, but very quickly was pushing back against it, looking for more. Draco removed his hand, ignoring the whimper that escaped from Harry, and coated two more fingers with the lube. He quickly prepared Harry, knowing that he wouldn't be able to hold off for very long.

Harry had been resting his head on Draco's shoulder, panting slightly. He sighed when Draco removed his fingers, and lifted himself up slightly. He reached down and coated Draco with the smooth gel, before slowly lowering himself back down.

Both boys gasped, unable to move for a moment. Draco waited for Harry to adjust, and when he began moving, so did Draco. It didn't take long before both of them were shuddering against each other, panting with the intensity of their relief.

"Well," said Harry, "that was one of the nicest showers I've ever taken."

Draco laughed. "Me too."

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Once both boys were actually clean and dressed, they headed down to the dining room for breakfast. When they arrived, Snape and Voldemort were waiting for them.

"Well well well," drawled Snape, "you two are looking…sickeningly satisfied."

Harry smirked. "While I appreciate the alliteration, that is really none of your business uncle Sev."

"Now Harry, don't be like that. How are we supposed to ask about the tattoos if they don't know what we did to get them?"

Voldemort looked up. "Tattoos? You managed to get tattoos last night? How?"

"Well actually Tom, we were hoping you two could help us figure that out. We woke up this morning, and there they were. They're the same, but the colors are exactly opposite. I've got a green snake with silver eyes, and Draco's got a silver snake with green eyes." As he spoke, Harry pulled his collar down to allow the two men to see the mark. Both men stood to study the teens.

Voldemort spoke first. "Huh, that is strange. What exactly did you two do last night?" He paused. "Wait, no, scratch that. We really don't need to know the details."

Harry blushed and decided that his shoes were very interesting. Draco sighed. "Oh for Merlin's sake Harry. We rubbed each other off, and then I fucked him into the sheets. Twice."

Snape glared. "All you had to say was that you went as far as possible. I really didn't need the image of my nephew and my godson doing that."

"Aw, what's the matter Sev? I know you're not getting any while father's in prison, but that's no need to get all squeamish. After the number of times I had to see your bare ass in the air, I think you've got nothing to preach about."

"Yes, well I am not responsible for the fact that you don't know how to knock. All those times were your fault. If I remember correctly, several times the door was even locked."

Draco didn't respond, instead deciding that sticking his tongue out at the man was a much better idea.

Harry had finally looked up. He was distracted from his mortification by one simple fact. "Wait. Uncle Sev is fucking your father? Since when? And why wouldn't you knock after, gee I don't know, the FIRST time?"

"Well Harry, the FIRST time, as you say, was when I was about five. It wasn't my fault. Anyway, they've been together since they were in school. My parent's marriage served one function, to get an heir for the Malfoy line. Once mother was pregnant, my parents never slept in the same wing of the manor again."

"Oh. Well, this may take some getting used to. And I thought that your father would be out of prison by now. Couldn't you break him out or something? I mean, if Sirius could get out of there, surely someone else could."

"Harry, my father is a law abiding citizen. He is waiting patiently while we work to get him out the legal way. And by legal I mean bribing as many people as possible." Draco smirked. "It's so much fun being the richest family in the wizarding world."

"Hey, what about me? I've got the Potter and the Black fortunes. Doesn't that make me filthy rich too?"

"Well yes, but even with both, you're still number two. Heh heh. We have so much money that we could give every witch and wizard in England a thousand galleons each and still be number one on the list."

"Well, you know I could probably help you out. After all, I am the boy-who-just-wouldn't-fucking-die. People worship me, and not just because of my staggering good looks. If I ask really nicely, the minister would probably let your dad out. He owes me quite a few favors."

"Excuse me," said Voldemort, "while all this is fascinating, I was wondering if we could get back to the tattoos that appeared overnight? You all get distracted rather easily, and Lucius can wait a little while longer."

Harry smirked at him. "Well, Draco and I _are_ just seventeen years old you know. And if uncle Sev hasn't gotten any in as long as Draco mentioned, then you can't really blame him either. Besides, aren't you, as the leader, supposed to keep us all on track, oh great moldy shorts?"

Draco collapsed in a fit of giggles while Severus looked on confused. "Moldy shorts? Where on earth did that come from?"

"Well, as Harry mentioned, he is seventeen. Boys that age are rather immature," replied Voldemort. He glanced at Draco, who was still on the floor and turned to Harry. "You may want to get him off of the floor. We do need to discuss these tattoos."

Despite Harry's best efforts, it took almost five minutes to get Draco calmed down. Finally, with a last muttered, "moldy," Draco got back into his seat.

Voldemort shot one last glare in Draco's direction before he spoke. "From what you've described, the two of you are bonded in some way. There are some old stories about very powerful beings who actually needed a mate to help ground their power, but most people accept these stories as just that, stories. There hasn't been any mention of anything like this in thousands of years, so no one really knows if it is true. It's the only thing I can think of however, as there is no magical creature blood in either of your bloodlines. Severus, what do you think?"

"Well honestly I don't know. I've only ever heard of mates and bonding when dealing with magical creatures. However, between the four of us, we probably have just about every book ever printed, so we should be able to find out what's going on. In the meantime, I suggest we concentrate on other things, such as what we are going to do about Dumbledore."

"Don't worry uncle Sev," said Harry, "I'll be the one taking care of Bumblefuck. Draco and I have got it figured out. I'll get resorted into Slytherin, take back all the money that he took from my accounts, and basically just take all of his support right out from underneath him. By the time I'm through with him, everyone will know the truth and he'll die a broken man. Hehehe. I can't wait!"

The other three men in the room stared at Harry, incredulous looks on their faces. Harry just looked back, his face the perfect study of innocence. "What? What's so wrong about wanting to utterly destroy the man who has kept me from having any sort of life at all? He killed my parents then lied to me about it, forced me to stay with the Dursleys, and meant to use me as a weapon to get rid of his competition. I should think that I deserve a little revenge, no?"

Draco finally shook himself out of his stupor. "Harry, love, it's not that we don't think you deserve revenge, it's just that you seem a little blasé about the fact that you are going to kill a man."

"Well, I've been training to kill the man who murdered my parents since I was eleven. It's just that now I know that I am going after the right guy."

Before anyone could respond, they were interrupted by an owl landing on the table. It held out its leg to Draco, waiting impatiently as he took the letter tied there. As soon as the letter was free, the owl took off.

"What'd you get Draco?" asked Harry.

"Hmm? Oh, it's my Hogwarts letter. I wonder where yours is. These things are supposed to be self-addressing."

"Bumblefuck probably didn't send one. He hasn't since fifth year. Usually I just get my books and things when I get back to school. If there's anything else I need, I get escorted to Hogsmeade by an Order member. In case you hadn't noticed, I don't really have much freedom. You know, 'worries about my safety' and all."

"Well that sucks. You want to go tomorrow? We could disguise you, though I don't think that anyone would recognize you now."

"Sure. Should be fun."

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AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

_I can't believe it's been a whole month since I've updated! I am soooooo sorry! I got hit with major writer's block on this chapter. That's no excuse, I know. Sorry sorry sorry. Please forgive me._

_Anyway, I hope that you liked this chappie. Next time we go back to Diagon Alley, where the story first began. Hehehe. Six chapters of flashbacks. Wow. Anyway, enjoy, and I'll try to get the next chappie out much quicker. _

_smooches to all _


	7. In the Alley

**Disclaimer:** If you didn't know already, I don't own it. If I did, I'd have way more than twenty dollars in my bank account!

This chapter is dedicated to **OrionLuckyStar**, whose begging for an update made me smile. Hehehe. To all of my other reviewers, thank you so much! Even just getting a one word review makes me feel all worm and fuzzy inside, kind of like how I feel when I see someone fall down a flight of stairs.

**A/N:** I realize that Harry would have read that book about the veil pretty much right away, but he got distracted by the yumminess that is Draco. I'm not going to write about him reading it, just his reaction, cuz I'm not sure how to word what it's going to say in a way that would be in a book. Also, that'll be a bit later in the story, so you'll just have to hang on a bit. XP

Anyhoo…on with the story!

**Chapter 7**

**In the Alley**

Harry was walking down Diagon Alley lost in thought. Draco was waiting for him at Flourish and Blotts while he had been checking in with the goblin Ragnok. The goblin had requested a meeting with Harry in order to keep him informed on the progress they were making on the suit against Dumbledore.

Evidently, the suit was progressing nicely, as many of the initial preparations were already in place. According to Ragnok, the old coot had tried to do what he did with Harry's accounts with other accounts as well. The goblins had been trying to bring Dumbledore to court, but unfortunately, they needed the support of the people he tried to rob, and they all were simply unable to bring any kind of suit against the leader of the light.

This new bit of information was what had Harry deep in thought. He had known that the majority of the wizarding world thought that Dumbledore could do no wrong, but to be confronted with his illicit deeds and turning a blind eye just blew him away. Even when he was eleven years old and followed Dumbledore like a little puppy, if he'd known that the old man was taking his money, he wouldn't have been able to let him get away with it.

Harry was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Draco come up behind him until the blond put his arms around Harry's waist. Despite being surprised, Harry's natural reaction to throw the teen were suppressed by the feeling of safety that came to him whenever Draco was near.

"Hey there sexy," Harry purred. He turned in Draco's arms with a smirk on his face. Draco pouted at him.

"How did you know it was me? You weren't noticing anything _and_ I made sure to be silent."

"Draco, we're mated. No matter how much you try to surprise me, I'll always know that it's you. Just like you'll always know if I am near you."

"Mmm…well, if I can't have fun by surprising you, then you'll just have to make it up to me. How about a kiss for my bruised ego?"

Harry laughed. "It's nice to know my kisses have such wonderful healing abilities," he said as he reached out to cup Draco's face. The two moved closer together, meeting briefly for a chaste kiss. However, their moment was ruined by a shrill voice nearby.

"That's just disgusting. Two men do not belong together! You two should be ashamed of yourselves! There are children here, and you are contaminating them with your perv-"

The speaker was interrupted by a gust of wind that forced her into the shop front behind her. Harry and Draco both were facing her now, eyes flashing dangerously. "Look Draco," said Harry, "a deranged beaver. Someone should call the pound. And you know, wherever the beaver is, the weasel can't be far behind."

Just then, an awkwardly tall boy with flaming orange hair stormed up to them. He opened his mouth to scream at the two teens, but another gust of wind sent him flying, landing him next to the girl.

Harry watched his two former friends as they struggled to rise. "Granger, Weasley," he said coolly. Is there something that you wished to say to Draco and I? I can't promise that I won't lose my temper again, but then, I really don't handle betrayal all that well."

"Harry? Is that you?" Ron asked. "Blimey mate, what the hell did you do to yourself? And why aren't you at your aunt and uncle's house where it's safe?"

Draco growled. "No one, Weasley, calls Harry mate except me. Do it again and you'll be forced to feed yourself through a straw for the rest of your life."

"Malfoy! What the hell did you do to Harry? Did you put him under the Imperius or something?"

Harry's eyes flashed. "Don't ever assume, _Weasley_, that I am incapable of making my own decisions. How I look and who I choose to associate with are frankly none of your business. And if you actually took the time to use what little brains you have, you'd know that I've been able to throw off the Imperius curse since fourth year. Now, if you would excuse us, Draco and I were planning on getting some shopping done today."

Harry went to brush past the sputtering duo, but was stopped short by Hermione's voice.

"Harry, you need to stay away from Malfoy. What the two of you were doing before was wrong. It's not normal, nor is it natural."

"Oh, Hermione, you simple minded fool," Harry said softly. "Don't think that I never noticed how you cling to your silly little beliefs about god and Christianity. I always thought it strange, how the most logical witch around could be so taken by a story that was spread by wizards to cover up some magic that got exposed. I'm surprised you haven't heard that, after all, most wizards get a huge laugh out of the fact that a worldwide muggle religion was started based on a wizard who got out of hand."

Draco started to laugh. "Wait, you mean to tell me that the girl hailed as 'the smartest witch of her age' actually believed that story? Oh, this is just priceless!"

Hermione saw red. "How dare you criticize my beliefs! They are mine to have, and nothing that you say can change that! Besides, it doesn't matter how the story started, just that the message gets across."

"Right," drawled Harry, "and isn't that message one of peace and acceptance of all peoples?"

"Yes of course, that's why I fight so hard for equality among all beings."

"Well then, why doesn't that acceptance extend to us? Why are homosexuals left out of the loving circle?"

"Because," said Hermione, "it's not natural for you to have these feelings. You're confused right now, but soon you'll realize that this isn't how god meant for you to live."

Draco and Harry glanced at each other. Harry nodded, indicating that, this time, Draco could take her down. "Granger," he asked, "do you believe that animals can do no wrong?"

"Well of course, they have no free will. Everything that they do is what they were meant to do, because that is how god made them."

"Then how do you explain gay animals? It does happen you know. It's not often, and it's not exactly beneficial to the survival of the species, but it still occurs."

"Wha-"

"Look," interrupted Harry, "we could argue about this all day, but Draco and I really do need to do some shopping. School's coming up soon. Besides, I really hate to enter into a battle of wits when my opponents are unarmed. Tell the bumblebee that I'm very upset that my letter was unable to be delivered. Goodbye and good riddance to the both of you."

Harry and Draco breezed by both Ron and Hermione, both of whom had gaping mouths and shocked expressions. (a bit redundant, I know, work with me here people!) As soon as they were clear of the dimwitted duo, both boys started laughing and couldn't stop. Eventually, they had to step to the side of the alleyway to lean against a storefront, being unable to hold themselves upright any longer. They stayed there for a moment, until their moment of gaiety was intruded upon by yet another unexpected voice. Or rather, voices.

"You know Gred, it has been so long since I have seen Harry laugh, I'd completely forgotten what it looked and sounded like."

"Indeed Forge. I had as well. In fact, just the other day, I was thinking that we should send poor Harry something to cheer him up, something to take his mind off of more serious matters."

"I had the very same thought, though I was thinking that his mind should be taken off of the matter of Sirius."

"Ah, a point well made dear brother of mine."

"Why thank you, I did think so myself."

By this time, Harry and Draco had completely stopped laughing, and were staring at the Weasley twins with a mixture of amazement, curiosity, and wariness. Neither was sure how the twins would react to the two of them, and to the truth about the war.

Draco had known that Harry would eventually have to confront the people in his life that he still cared for, but he wasn't sure if his mate was quite ready for it, especially if it meant rejection.

Harry was hopeful, but he didn't allow himself to feel it overmuch. The twins meant a lot to him, but he couldn't be sure if they were like their younger siblings. A bit hesitantly he stepped up to the twins.

"Gred, Forge. How have you been lately?"

The twins took on looks of exaggerated hurt. "Harry! How could you! Did you think that we-"

"could ever-"

"in our entire lives-"

"betray the man who, by virtue of finances-"

"made all of our dreams come true!"

Draco, rather unused to the peculiar way that the twins talked at times had a slight look of confusion on his face. Therefore, when Harry's face split into a grin and he jumped on the twins with glee, the blond was completely unprepared. When he finally caught up, he smiled broadly, much to the amazement of passersby who recognized him as a Malfoy.

It was the twins turn to be surprised. They hadn't expected such a show of emotion from Harry, who was normally fairly reserved (unless of course he was angry). Harry seemed to realize that he'd been rather intense in his reaction and stepped back, though he was still grinning widely.

"Fred, George, I think that I can honestly say that you are two of the greatest friends that a bloke can have. Although, I can't really say the same for your younger siblings."

The twins shifted uncomfortably and glanced at each other. "Ah well," said Fred, "we suspected that Ron was a lost cause from the start-"

"but we're sorry to hear that Ginny hasn't lived up to expectations. What is it exactly-"

"that the littlest Weasley-"

"has done to lose the respect of-"

"the most forgiving bloke-"

"in the entire wizarding world?"

Draco growled and gripped Harry's hand to steady him. The air around the two was beginning to crackle with the force of Harry's rage. Being reminded of what that redheaded harlot had done to him so soon after confronting the two people he thought he could call friend pushed him closer to the edge than ever before. Seeing that Harry would be unable to respond, Draco answered for him.

"That bint put a love potion into Harry's pumpkin juice every day for months last year. The only reason that she stopped was because she thought that he would stay with her even after it wore off."

The twins shared a glance, and George spoke for the two. "Why would she do that? It makes no sense. I mean, everyone could pretty much tell that Harry's gay. She should've known better."

George's remarks broke Harry's anger, replacing it with shock. "What in Merlin's name do you mean, 'everybody could tell?' I didn't tell anyone! And for a long time I didn't even know myself!"

This time Fred answered. "Harry, Harry, Harry. Did you honestly think that no one would notice? We all saw you checking out my admittedly nice arse."

Harry sputtered. "I did no such thing! If I ever checked out anyone's arse, it would have been George's. He's obviously the better looking of the two of you."

The twins laughed, and the touchy subject of Ginny was dropped. After all, there was no need to hash out all the details now, when she wasn't even there to be confronted. However, the twins wanted very much to be there to see what would happen when Harry and Draco finally caught up with her.

"Well," said Fred, "why don't we all adjourn to our back room."

"Indeed," said George, "there, at least, we can be safe from prying eyes and ears."

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Albus Dumbledore was worried. He had just received a report from two of his younger "operatives" so to speak, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. It had been unsettling to say the least.

Harry Potter had been seen in broad daylight, in the middle of Diagon Alley with none other than Draco Malfoy. And if Miss Granger was correct, the two were romantically involved, and made no secret of this.

Something had to be done. His plans had been exact, everything was played out to perfection. And yet, somewhere along the way, something had gone wrong. He had been so careful with the molding of his young martyr-to-be. Keeping him unaware of his origins, being the one person the boy always believed he could trust, grooming always to be the hero that would "save" the wizarding world from the "Dark Lord." What had happened? Where had his plans gone awry? He couldn't understand the dramatic change in the boy.

Nevertheless, something had to be done. Perhaps it was time to bring the mutt back into play. After all, the man would be ridiculously easy to control; his mind weakened first by Azkaban and then almost complete isolation. If he could control a mind like Severus', then Sirius Black should pose no problem, and indeed hadn't before.

Thinking of Severus reminded Dumbledore to check to see that the Imperious was still strong. He glanced to one of the many silver instruments lining his office, making sure that everything was as it should be. Everything looked to be in order. Having reassured himself, he decided that now would be as good a time as any to see to the mutt, and flooed away.

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Fawkes watched him go, and let off a soft trill. Several instruments began flashing, some even letting off a shrill alarm. Fawkes giggled to himself, and set his illusions back into place. He had been protecting his charges for quite some time now, though none of them knew it. After all, who would suspect that the bird known as Albus Dumbledore's familiar was in fact working against the man.

Dumbledore had lost any protection or help that Fawkes would offer when he first attempted to prevent the True Heir from being born. Then, when he not only turned the world against an heir, but also killed two others, Fawkes had been furious. For now, he would work in secret, keeping his charge's secrets. Soon however, all would be revealed, and Fawkes would be able to join the boy, the one upon whose shoulders the fate of the entire world rested.

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Wow…I am really sorry about that. Honestly, I didn't think it would take so long for me to get off of my ass and write more. Um………..crap. I can't even think of anything to say. And it's not like I can blame my hectic schedule, because I pretty much have no life to speak of. I really did try though, but I'm pretty much the worst procrastinator around. So, look for more updates, maybe soon, maybe not. I'll try not to keep you waiting much more than a month, but my track record speaks against me. Heh.

So, sorry again, and I'll try to do better.


	8. Jumps

**Disclaimer:** Anything you recognize isn't mine.

**Chapter 8**

**Jumps**

Taking turns, Harry and Draco had told Fred and George everything about what was really going on in the Wizarding World. The twins were shocked, but when confronted with the evidence and based on observations they'd made were able to accept the truth of the matter. They did have a few questions however.

"Harry," asked Fred, "what did that book you got say would happen to Sirius?"

Harry sighted. "It was a lot less informative than I'd thought it would be. For one thing, it's the personal diary of the inventor of the veil, and as such is an absolute bitch to read. So far, the only thing I know for sure is that Sirius isn't dead, and the only reason I'm not trying to rescue him is because it says he's in absolutely no danger."

"Not to mention that he's been there for over a year. He can wait a bit longer," said Draco. "Besides, getting to the veil will take more planning than just barging into the Ministry and demanding to be taken to the Department of Mysteries."

George looked thoughtful. "Alright, but Harry, you never explained what happened the night your parents died. Why was Voldemort at your house, and why did he cast the Killing Curse?"

Harry sighed. "When I was born, Bumblefuck began plotting my death. That night, he was coming to put his plan into action. He got to the house and managed to overpower and kill my dad. Then he went after my mum. Tom felt my dad's death because of the connection the mark gives him to his followers. He showed up in time to see Dumbledore kill my mum, and in a fit of rage, cast the Killing Curse at the old fucker. Unfortunately, Dumbledore held me up at the last minute.

"Seeing where the curse was heading, Tom pulled it back on himself, and the backlash was what caused him to lose his body."

Draco took over. "Dumbledore saw an opportunity and he took it. Voldemort was gone, and he knew that he could use Harry if he ever returned. Before anyone could even begin to process what had happened, he began to paint Harry as a savior. He changed a lot of people's memories that night and in the days following. The only people whose minds he didn't tamper with were those who are so completely convinced that Dumbledore can do no wrong that they would never think to question any decision that he makes."

"But," said Fred, "surely even Dumbledore couldn't have that much power. He couldn't have changed that many people's memories, especially that drastically."

"Well," said Harry, "he did have help. Plus, he only changed parts of memories. For example, there was some animosity between my dad and uncle Sev; at least until they found out that my mum was Sev's half sister. And my dad and his friends really did call themselves the Marauders, and they really were the pranking kings of the school. The main thing that Dumbledore changed in people's minds was what house they were in, and their allegiances in the war."

"What about your parents' friends?" asked George.

"Well, Remus and Pettigrew were easy to control because Remus's condition makes his natural mental shields almost non-existent, and Pettigrew is so weak he's practically a squib. The only potential problem was Sirius, and so Dumbledore arranged for him to go to Azkaban. As for my mom's friends, none of them were the type of people that would have ever been believed over the supposed paragon of light.

"Right from the start he made sure that I was influenced in the way he wanted. My first contact in the wizarding world was Hagrid, one of Dumbledore's most loyal sheep. Then, he made damn sure that I'd meet and befriend your brother, someone whose entire family has been in Gryffindor for generations, pureblooded but not prejudiced, except against Slytherins. He was quite literally my _first_ friend, at least that I remember."

"But, how'd he know you'd meet Ron on the train?" asked Fred.

"If you recall, your mother was very vocal about the station being filled with muggles. She also asked what the platform number was. Obviously this was meant to get my attention, as Hagrid had left before telling me how to get on the fucking train. Just told me not to be late. Asshole," replied Harry.

"Calm down Harry," said Draco. "We agreed that Hagrid probably doesn't know any better, and only knows that Dumbledore was the one who kept him out of Azkaban all those years ago. He'd do anything for that twinkling bastard."

Harry sighed. "I know, but I'll be talking to him when school starts again. Whether or not I'll trust him will depend on his answers to my questions."

Draco looked up as a clock on the wall chimed. "Fred, George, if you don't mind, Harry and I have to be going now. It was nice to meet you under more pleasant circumstances than were presented to us in school."

"Same here,-"

"Malfoy old chap."

"You two come visit anytime-"

"And don't forget to let us know-"

"When you take your revenge on little Ginniekins."

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When Harry and Draco returned to Malfoy Manor, they went directly to their suite of rooms. After the stress of the day, their newly formed bond was demanding their attention, and they could put it off no longer.

Some time later, they emerged looking much calmer, despite their disheveled appearances. They slowly made their way to the dining hall, taking the time to simply enjoy one another's company. When they finally arrived, Severus and Voldemort were waiting for them with slightly strangled looks on their faces. Severus looked up as the pair walked in, and in an overly calm voice said,

"If you think that you won't be able to remember to put up silencing wards when you need them, then for the love of Merlin, anchor some permanent ones."

Harry and Draco looked startled for a moment, before they glanced at each other and burst out laughing. In fact, it took almost five minutes for them to finally compose themselves.

When they were finally able to stand upright once more, Voldemort spoke up. "Your personal activities aside, I have some news for you Harry."

Harry glanced at him before taking a seat at the table, Draco dropping (very gracefully of course!) into the chair beside his. "Alright," he said, "what's going on?"

"I've been looking into some of the different schemes of the headmaster's and I stumbled across something that may be of interest to you. Hidden not far from Hogwarts is a small house that has been in use for a little over a year now. Generally, this wouldn't catch my attention, but the wards around the property caught my eye. They monitor all magic, bar anyone but the headmaster from entering, and more specifically, track the movements of a transformed animagus. This interested me because this kind of ward is very uncommon, as it only works when an animagus is in their animal form, and doesn't do anything at all except show you where they are. Also, I should point out that though the house itself is small, there is an extensive underground area chock full of traps, leading to one small room in the middle. All in all, the house is ideal for keeping an animagus prisoner."

Harry sat in stunned silence. He didn't even dare think too hard about what Voldemort had said. If he thought about it too much, he might get his hopes up, and he didn't think that he could bear to have them dashed once again. He looked up at Voldemort and Severus and simply said, "I'd like my training to include breaking wards." With that, he stood and left, a shocked Draco following soon after.

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Sirius looked up, confused. He'd heard a noise, but he knew that Dumbledore wasn't meant to come back for a while yet. He began to get worried, wondering if the miserable old man was coming to finally get rid of him.

He stood slowly, not wanting to be caught completely off guard. Footsteps came closer but they made no sense to him. They were quiet and slow, almost unsure. Not knowing what to expect, Sirius changed into Padfoot, hoping that the dog would be better able to handle whoever this was.

The footsteps stopped at the door. For a while, nothing seemed to happen. Then, the door began glowing a soft green. Quite suddenly, the door crumbled into ash, forming a thick cloud which obscured the doorway for a moment.

At first, nothing happened, until, "Merlin, Harry, did you at least get rid of the alarm before you made the _heavily warded_ door disintegrate?"

"Actually Draco, yes, I did. Geez, have a little faith in uncle Sev's teachings. After all, you're there learning with me."

Padfoot whined. Was this some new trick of Dumbledore's? he still couldn't see, and the ash was blocking his sense of smell also. He didn't know what to do, so he stayed in place, uncertainty in his stance.

Harry and Draco entered the cell and looked around. It was bare, with some rags in one corner and a charmed bucked in the other. However, only Draco saw these things, as Harry had eyes only for the large black dog in the middle of the room. He took a step forward, hardly daring to hope.

"Sirius?"

That was all it seemed to take for the dog. It launched itself at Harry, pinning him to the floor and licking his face all over.

Harry was laughing and crying. After all this time, he had his godfather back. He could hardly believe it. It was literally a dream come true.

After a moment, Draco cleared his throat. "Much as I hate to interrupt, we need to get out of here."

At his words both Harry and Padfoot stilled. They got up, Sirius transforming. He was grinning like an idiot, but suddenly he became serious. "Harry, there are some things you need to know about-"

Harry interrupted him. "I know Sirius. Draco showed me the truth and I've had some good long talks with Tom and uncle Sev."

Sirius was beyond relieved. His pup knew the truth, and was no longer under the thumb of the headmaster.

While they had been occupied, Draco had taken something out of his pocket. He handed it to Harry, who enlarged it. There was now a life sized replica of Sirius lying on the floor.

Sirius was confused. "Are you going to make it look as though I died? Because I think that Dumbledore will notice the difference between a doll and a corpse."

Harry grinned and passed his hand over the doll. Green fire surrounded it for a moment, before sinking in.

"Sirius," he said, "allow me to introduce you to your simulacrum. He can do anything you can, and his magical signature is an exact match to yours. His job is to annoy the hell out of Bumblefuck."

Sirius gaped at Harry. "You made an actual simulacrum?! That's supposed to be impossible!"

Harry grinned again. "Sirius, everything is impossible, until it's not."

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**Time Jump (September 1)**

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Dumbledore was worried. It seemed as though he had constantly been in this state of mind since Harry had disappeared from his relatives' house. Ever since the incident in Diagon Alley and the confrontation between him and his two "friends," not a single bit of information could be gathered about the boy-who-lived. This, combined with the aggravation that the mutt was giving him was beginning to wear on the aged headmaster.

Now, Hogwarts was starting again, all the children in the hall for the sorting and the feast, and there was still no sign of the boy. The young Malfoy was in attendance however, and Dumbledore hoped that this meant that Harry had broken ties with the blonde.

Finally the sorting was done and it was time for him to act like nothing was amiss, though a clever observer (of which there were far more than he could have guessed) could see the tension in his stance as he stood to address the students.

"Welcome, welcome students to another year at Hogwarts. Now that the sorting is through-"

Dumbledore was interrupted by the doors of the Great Hall being slammed open. There stood a figure, hooded and cloaked. The person walked forward slowly until it reached the center of the Hall. Once there, pale hands reached up to pull back the hood. Many students gasped, some in shock, others in surprise, and still others in fear.

"Excuse me headmaster, but I believe there is one other sorting to get through. Mine." The hall was silent, waiting for Dumbledore's reaction.

"Harry my boy, re-sortings are not allowed. One's house in one's home for their entire stay at Hogwarts."

"Wrong headmaster," Harry said calmly (for it was indeed Harry Potter), "If a student feels that they were wrongly placed and has the support of one member of each house, that student may be allowed a re-sorting, pending acceptance from the new house."

At this, four students stood up. Draco Malfoy for Slytherin, Terry Boot for Ravenclaw, Ernie Macmillan for Hufflepuff, and to everyone's surprise, Neville Longbottom for Gryffindor. The four made their way to where Harry stood and faced the headmaster. Harry smirked.

"You see headmaster, I have support from the four houses and I believe that my original sorting was mistaken. You have no choice."

Dumbledore sighed. "Fine Harry, if this is truly what you want. Just remember, if you aren't accepted by your new house, you will no longer be recognized as a Hogwarts student."

Harry moved to the stool at the front of the Hall and placed the hat on his head.

_Aha. I wondered when we'd meet again Mr. Potter,_ said the hat. _I knew one day that this would come, but you were so stubborn._

_I know. However now I am aware of the truth and it's time for them to know as well. I think we both know where I truly belong._

_Indeed. It is time for you to be with your bondmate in your true home in,_ "Slytherin!"

The hall was silent after the hat's declaration. Harry stood off the stool and turned to Draco. Formally, he asked, "Does the noble house of Slytherin accept me as a new student in its ranks?"

Draco, following the same ancient formalities turned to his house. "A student has petitioned to be accepted into our house. Shall we welcome him as our newest brother?"

For a moment no one moved. Then, in an uncharacteristic show of emotion, the entire Slytherin house exploded in cheers. The rest of the school looked on in shock as the normally composed and poised students acted, for once, like teenagers. When the noise died down, Draco turned toward the head table.

"Severus Snape, as head of Slytherin house you have witnessed your students' welcome. Do you accept this new student into your tutelage?"

Dumbledore remained calm. He believed that Severus would deny Harry a place in Slytherin based on the mutual dislike bordering on hatred between the two. He was, therefore, shocked when Snape stood up and calmly stated,

"He is accepted. Welcome to Slytherin Harry Potter."

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**A/N:** Alright, I hope you guys liked this chapter, cause it definitely kicked my ass a few times. I swear to fucking god, my muse quit halfway through the damn thing. If it weren't for the bursts of inspiration I got in class a little while ago, I don't know what I would have done. I'm sorry you guys had to wait so long again, and hopefully it won't take so long for the next chappie.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it means a lot to me to hear that you guys really enjoy the story.

XD


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